Columbus Promise expands college access as public–private partners announce $17.6M raised toward $25M six‑year goal

Columbus — Leaders from the city, Columbus City Schools and Columbus State Community College said at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum that the Columbus Promise program has expanded college access for Columbus City School graduates and has secured $17,600,000 of a $25,000,000 fundraising target to fund the next six‑year cohort.

The Columbus Promise is a public‑private partnership that guarantees eligible Columbus City Schools graduates tuition support if they complete an application, apply for federal student aid and meet enrollment requirements. "If you graduate from high school, if you apply for the FAFSA, and if you apply for this program, you get to go to college for free. No questions asked," Council President Shannon Harden said at the forum.

Organizers and partners said the program began as a three‑year pilot that raised $10,000,000 for initial funding and has since broadened. "The city put in $5,000,000, the private sector put in another $5,000,000 and Columbus State put in a million dollars that got us to the first round," Harden said. For the next phase, Harden said the city committed $10,000,000 and organizers have raised $17,600,000 toward a $25,000,000 goal to support the expanded cohort over six years.

Why it matters: Speakers framed the promise as both a student‑support initiative and a workforce strategy. "We are doing it because we want to pay back,…