Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida College System today announced that all 28 Florida Colleges support the Last Mile College Completion Program and are voluntarily providing scholarships to eligible students using existing resources before receiving funding from the Legislature. The Last Mile College Completion Program helps students who left college with 12 or fewer credit hours remaining, to complete their first associate or baccalaureate degree.
“Last legislative session we created the Last Mile Completion Program, which puts Florida on the path to becoming number one in the nation for its workforce by 2030,” said Governor DeSantis. “Thank you to all the college presidents who have signed on and supported the Last Mile College Completion Program. I will continue to prioritize education and do everything in my power to help students complete their higher education goals and be prepared to enter the workforce.”
“Thank you, Governor DeSantis for prioritizing higher education by creating the Last Mile Completion Program,” said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. “We are thrilled that all 28 Florida College Presidents have shown their support for this new program. As Commissioner of Education, I will continue working every day to ensure students receive the best education possible, and the Last Mile College Completion Program is a step in the right direction to achieving that goal.”
The Last Mile Completion Program creates a pathway for many returning students to earn their degree. As Florida’s workforce engine, the Florida College System knows that continuing to develop Florida’s talent pipeline for workforce needs is a top priority for business owners in Florida, and the Last Mile College Completion Program is part of the solution.
While each college provides the returning students with a transcript analysis of the courses they have left to complete the specific degree, the minimum criteria for the Last Mile College Completion Program include that the student must:
- Be a Florida resident;
- Be in good academic standing;
- Be within 12 credit hours of completing their first associate or baccalaureate degree; and
- Have attended a regionally accredited post-secondary institution within the past eight years.
The 28 Florida Colleges Supporting the Last Mile College Completion Program are as follows:
- Eastern Florida State College
- Broward College
- College of Central Florida
- Chipola College
- Daytona State College
- Florida SouthWestern State College
- Florida State College at Jacksonville
- The College of the Florida Keys
- Gulf Coast State College
- Hillsborough Community College
- Indian River State College
- Florida Gateway College
- Lake-Sumter State College
- State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
- Miami Dade College
- North Florida College
- Northwest Florida State College
- Palm Beach State College
- Pasco-Hernando State College
- Pensacola State College
- Polk State College
- St. Johns River State College
- St. Petersburg College
- Santa Fe College
- Seminole State College of Florida
- South Florida State College
- Tallahassee Community College
- Valencia College
