STOCKTON, Calif. — A recently expanded tuition waiver signed by Governor Gavin Newsom means any first-time and full-time student will be able to attend junior college for not just one year with free tuition but two years.
It means students like 21-year-old Angel Gonzalez can worry less about the cost of their education.
"Tuition here is about $600 for my first semester, so, like, $600 coming out of my pocket is a lot," said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez says he plans to become a doctor one day.
"I always felt like they were kind of like a super hero, and so, I wanted to be part of that," said Gonzalez.
Due to his family's income level, the third year student has already had his tuition fees waived, however, the new waiver will now help others with costs as they head to school just like Gonzalez.
"In this era of really high student debt to have an opportunity to come to a community college for two years and not pay a dime in tuition, we think is a great opportunity," said Alex Breitler, Public Information Coordinator for San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton.
The number of units taken at Delta has dropped an estimated 10% to 12%, according to Breitler.
He says that's attributed to fewer students attending junior college because of a strong economy but also because of technical glitches with a new online registration system that kicked off this summer.
For students to better navigate through the enrollment process, a series of "Enrollment Express" events will take place starting tomorrow morning.
They'll run during the following times in DeRicco Building Room 117:
- August 10 - 9 a.m to 1 p.m
- August 17 - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- August 24 - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There will be one additional event on Thursday, August 22 also at the DeRicco Building Room 117 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
(Editor's Note: "Some" was added to the headline to make it clear this program is not open to everyone. Check out our article to see who qualifies: Free college tuition in California: Who qualifies? )