During these days of a slow economy, community colleges are fast becoming an act you don’t want to refuse.
“Students are drowning in debt,” said author Sheila Danzig who, along with Francis Mutulu, announced the release of their new book, Great Careers in 2 Years: How to Beat a Bad Economy with an Associate Degree. “There is a new paradigm being formed in education and that is the two-year degree. Once the stepchild of education, it is now soaring to the top as the answer to getting a good job and not being buried under loans.”
To support students struggling with finances, Henry Ford Community College offers a tuition freeze guaranteeing students a locked-in rate. The tuition is locked at the time a student begins his or her studies at HFCC and remains locked until graduation from the college. So if tuition goes up after a student’s initial semester, the increase will be refunded to the student after graduation. The guidelines are as follows:

1. A student must earn his or her degree within four successive years of initial enrollment at HFCC.

2.Any refund is based solely on the amount of tuition increase imposed after the initial semester of a student’s four successive years at HFCC.

3. A tuition refund cannot be claimed for any semester during which a student received financial aid, except for loans, or direct sponsorship for tuition.

4.All course work for a degree must be completed at HFCC. Transfer students do not qualify.

5.The refund applies only to the first 60 to 62 credit hours needed to complete a degree program.

6. Only one refund per student is allowed.

7. Application for a refund must be made within one year of the student’s graduation date.

HFCC also offers many certificate programs which allow students a viable entrance into the job market, while at the same time giving students additional skill sets to market in their job search.
“For many years, students received a two-year degree that provided entrance into the professional field of their choice,” said Danzig. “It's only been in the recent past that the push for costly four-year degrees has been seen as the pinnacle of success.”
HFCC has other gems to support students in their job quest, including the job placement and careers development offices. In addition, the college offers a one-credit elective class that gives strong insight into job and career choices. The careers class provides testing for aptitude and interests, and helps students develop a career plan. So, by the time you reach the job placement office, you will have conducted your personal research to better enable you to select the job necessary to meet your goals.
Now that you have returned to school, take a look at your career plan. If you have not developed it, remember that the college has qualified people who look forward to helping you schedule your life plans and goals.