College of the Desert launching free education program for high school students

College of the Desert announced a program which will allow local high school graduates from the class of 2017 to attend first year at College of the Desert free.

The program is named plEdge, and it is designed to make access to higher education available for all Coachella Valley high school graduates. It guarantees one year of free “tuition” to all graduating students who would like to attend the college full-time starting in Fall 2017.

“We do not want cost to keep students from pursuing their education,” stated Joel L. Kinnamon, Ed.D., COD Superintendent/President. “We know that an education makes a difference for each student, their families, our community and our economy.”

Students who qualify will be asked to maintain full-time enrollment, complete required work experience or community service, and maintain their academic performance.