About 625,000 essential workers who continued performing their frontline duties during the height of the pandemic in Michigan are eligible for free college tuition, under a program announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “This initiative is Michigan’s way of expressing gratitude to essential workers for protecting public health and keeping our state running,” Whitmer said at a September press conference announcing the first-in-the-nation program.

Futures for Frontliners offers Michigan adults without college degrees or high school diplomas who provided essential services during the pandemic a tuition-free pathway to gaining the skills needed to obtain high-demand, high-wage careers. The funding is not only available to those in the medical field, but also essential workers in schools, manufacturing, nursing homes, grocery stores, sanitation, delivery, retail and more. Learn more at michigan.gov/frontliners.