MANTEO — It sounds too good to be true, and yet, it’s not.
Many Dare County residents are eligible to continue their education free of charge, whether they seek an associate degree or a workforce credential.
“Thanks to the Dare County Guarantee Scholarship Program, funded by Dare County, students can attend College of The Albemarle with no out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and fees,” Tammy Sawyer, COA director of communications and marketing, said in an email.
Since 2019, Dare County has dedicated $250,000 annually for the scholarship program.
Often called the “Dare Guarantee,” the program covers students’ tuition and fees—and sometimes also books and computers—that are not already covered by other available financial aid and scholarships.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners established the scholarship “to meet a board priority,” with the goal of “providing as many scholarships as possible for Dare County graduating seniors who wish to attend” COA, according to the 2019-2020 county budget.
To be considered for the scholarship, students must be Dare County residents, U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and begin attending the college within 24 months of graduation from a public school, private school or homeschool in the county, according to the COA website.
Commissioners voted in July 2021 to expand the scholarship offering to include adults who were not recent high school graduates, according to the Dare County website.
COA enrollment among recent Dare County high school graduates was not as high as the commissioners had hoped, Bob Woodard, board chair, explained of the scholarship expansion vote.
“We wanted to help as many folks as we could,” he said. “Education is important to our board.”
The feedback from those who have enrolled has been positive, Woodard noted.
One young woman spoke at the State of the County event last January and called the program “a game changer” for her whole family, Woodard said.
She would have had to take out student loans, since her family could not afford college tuition, so they saved $85,000 by her earning her two-year degree at home before enrolling in a four-year university to complete a bachelor’s degree, he said.
“We’ve had numerous success stories like that,” Woodard said.
Alice Turney, a 72-year-old, Manteo resident, enrolled in COA during the spring 2022 semester. She said receiving the scholarship “took away any worry about how I was going to pay for classes.”
Bored during the pandemic, Turney said, “I got to thinking about what I could do that would be different, that I’d always wanted to do but never had the opportunity—so I decided to go for a degree in college.”
She’d married young, raised children and then, at 47, decided to become a licensed practical nurse.
“I’m not afraid to do something at an older age,” Turney, who has been retired for about a decade, said with a laugh.
She’s always loved learning, but prior to COA, the year of nursing school had been her only education since graduating from high school in Newport News.
“Boy, it was rough the first three semesters,” she said, explaining that she was simultaneously learning course material and how to use computers and complete work online.
But now, she’s been selected as a COA student ambassador and talks with prospective older adult students about how they, too, can continue their educations.
“I think it’s a really good way to stretch yourself to go a little bit further than what you think you can do, especially if you like academics or like learning,” Turney said.
Since the program began, 1,222 students have been awarded the Dare County Guarantee Scholarship, and 717 students have accepted it, according to Sawyer.
Some students who were awarded the scholarship didn’t accept it or need it because of other opportunities, she noted.
For the fall 2023 semester, 244 students were awarded the scholarship, and 152 accepted it, according to Sawyer. Of those who accepted the scholarship, 125 students were enrolled in curriculum courses, which ultimately lead to a two-year-degree, and 27 students were enrolled in continuing education courses.
The continuing education courses, formally called Workforce Development and Career Readiness, are “high-demand workforce training programs that lead to a state or industry-recognized credential,” Sawyer said.
Classes considered “lifelong learning and enrichment”—such as jewelry, painting or pottery—are not included under the Dare Guarantee Scholarship.
Students taking workforce classes do not have to apply to the college with the formal application process required for curriculum students, according to Fay Davis Edwards, coordinator for workforce development and career readiness for COA’s Dare campus.
“At least half the students in our workforce program have been covered in some form and fashion by the scholarship,” Davis Edwards said. “It’s an easy process, and it can get you positioned for a more lucrative career,” or provide credentials leading to higher pay.
In one summer session, a granddaughter and grandfather took a basic welding course together. They are both going to use what they learned in fields that “are vastly different,” she said.
“There are people that wouldn’t be able to get these certifications otherwise,” Davis Edwards said.
“Pool and Spa [certification] just jumped up to $299,” she said, but the scholarship would include the one-day course cost, the book and the testing.
Many heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) companies provide on-the-job training, but she said earning a certification in COA’s HVAC lab beforehand could lead to a higher pay rate.
COA staff welcome questions and provide detailed information about the scholarship when people call to register, she said. For workforce classes, registration occurs on a rolling basis until each class is full.
“Let’s get our workforce trained,” Davis Edwards said. “It’s such an asset for our county.”
