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Coconino Community College Offering Free, Discounted Summer Courses To High School Seniors

Coconino Community College in Flagstaff is using COVID-19 relief funding to provide summer classes for free or at a discounted rate for Arizona high school seniors. 

CCC is using this funding allocated to higher education institutions and its students to cover tuition and fee costs for Coconino County high school seniors. 

The college is offering this opportunity to help high school seniors catch up or get ahead on their college goals, said Provost Nate Southerland. The opportunity is available to students regardless of whether they are staying at CCC or moving to another institution. 

“You know this has been a hard year for you. We’re going to give you a little bit of a nudge to help you start college on the right foot," he said. 

The college is also hoping this effort may renew student interest in pursuing higher education, Southerland said. The college typically serves 3,500 to 3,900 students annually, but this year, enrollment has dropped by 20%. Community colleges statewide and  nationwide have also seen similar trends. 

“Once you’ve stopped going to school it’s hard to start again and so one of the things we are hoping is that this effort will help people get started again and then we can help them keep going from there," Southerland said. 

The free and discounted courses are also available to students and received their GED this year. The Coconino Community College Foundation has also donated money to pay for tuition and fees for undocumented students who don’t qualify for the COVID-19 relief funding for colleges and their students, Southerland said.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been modified to correct a mistake in Nate Southerland's quote. 

Rocio Hernandez was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2020 to 2022.