Michigan Reconnect

Michigan Reconnect covers tuition at the in-district rate for courses in an eligible degree or certificate program.

The student is responsible for paying for books, and any remaining tuition balance.

Tuition balance remains for students with in-state residency (they will pay the difference between in-district and in-state tuition) and any classes outside of their eligible program of study.

Learn about LCC residency.

Check your residency under the profile tab of your myLCC account.

In-District Residents

Tuition will be covered if the student is eligible for Michigan Reconnect. The student is responsible for books and tuition for any classes that don’t count toward their program of study.

In-State Residents

In-district tuition rate will be covered so the student will be responsible for paying the difference in tuition, and any books and tuition for any classes that don’t count toward their program of study.

To be eligible, you must:

• Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Have not yet completed a college degree (associate or bachelor's).
• Must be a Michigan Resident for a year or more.
• Be at least 21 years old when you apply. (Students age 21-24 are eligible for a limited time. You must apply to the program and enroll in classes by Fall 2024 to be eligible. After that, the age requirement is 25.)
• For Reconnect 25+ purposes, the student is considered meeting this criterion if they can verify that they have been a Michigan resident for at least one year by the start of the semester.
• For Reconnect Expansion:
  • An independent student for Reconnect Expansion must have maintained continuous Michigan residency since July 1 of the previous calendar year, to be considered a Michigan resident and eligible for Reconnect.
  • If the student is dependent for Reconnect Expansion, their residency follows their parents' residency. Therefore, the parent must have maintained continuous Michigan residency since July 1 of the previous calendar year for the student to be considered a Michigan resident and eligible for Reconnect Expansion.
  • If a student's parent does not sign the FAFSA, but the college collects documentation from the parent that the parent refuses to complete the FAFSA and does not provide any financial support to the student, the student can be eligible for Reconnect. The college must collect documentation showing the student had been a resident one year prior to beginning of the semester in which they are receiving Reconnect.

Initial requirements:

• Complete the Michigan Reconnect application.
• File the FAFSA.
• Apply to LCC and complete admissions steps.
• Enroll in at least one credit toward a financial aid eligible degree or certificate program.
  • An aid-eligible program is any program that grants an associate degree and any certificate program of at least 16 credits in length.
• Applicant may be in default on a federal loan or owe a Title IV overpayment and still be considered for Reconnect.

Renewal requirements:

• File the FAFSA annually for each academic year. (Academic years begin with fall semester and end with summer semester. You must renew your FAFSA each academic year you intend to enroll.)
• Maintain Michigan residency.
• Beginning Fall 2023, continuous enrollment will no longer be a requirement. Instead, Reconnect students will be required to earn 12 credits per academic year in courses counting toward their program of study. However, participants who began receiving Reconnect Expansion in Fall of 2023 will not be expected to earn 12 credit hours by the end of the academic year to be reviewed Summer 2024 as initially anticipated. All Reconnect Expansion participants will be reviewed at the conclusion of Summer 2025.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 or be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in the courses taken toward the program of study while MI Reconnect participants. Grades earned prior to the student’s participation in MI Reconnect and courses taken that are not part of the program of study are not considered.
• All Reconnect & Reconnect Expansion Fall 2023 participants will be reviewed at the conclusion for Summer 2024 for the 2.0 GPA/SAP requirement.
• Note: A student's 12-month period begins each academic year. Students will be reviewed at the conclusion of each academic year. Students are a participant if they received a MI Reconnect award or if they met all eligibility requirements but did not receive a MI Reconnect award due to other resources covering their in-district tuition and mandatory fees.

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  Which FAFSA do I need to file?

  • File FAFSA at studentaid.gov

  • Students must file a FAFSA for each academic year. The academic year begins with fall semester and ends with summer semester. Both LCC and the State of Michigan must have record of the completed FAFSA. The FAFSA is available for the next academic year on October 1.

    • Fall 2023 through Summer 2024, file the 2023-2024 FAFSA

    • Fall 2024 through Summer 2025, file the 2024-2025 FAFSA

    • Fall 2025 through Summer 2026, file the 2025-2026 FAFSA

     

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  Do I need to maintain a certain GPA to continue to receive Reconnect?

  Yes. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in the courses taken toward the program of study while Reconnect participants. Grades earned prior to the student’s participation in Reconnect and courses taken that are not part of the program of study are not considered.

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  How many credits must I take to be eligible for an award?

  The student must be enrolled in at least one credit counting toward program completion in a financial aid eligible program of study (CPoS eligible credits) to be eligible for an award. This minimum applies to fall, spring and summer semesters.

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  Can I receive Reconnect and other financial aid in the same semester?

  Reconnect is a last-dollar scholarship, which means the Federal Pell Grant and state tuition-restricted scholarships or awards must be applied before Reconnect funding. The following are examples of how Reconnect and Federal Pell Grant are awarded.

    $1,645  In-District Tuition
  - $2,000  Federal Pell Grant
    $       0  Reconnect

  -or-

    $1,645  In-District Tuition
  - $1,000  Federal Pell Grant
    $   645  Reconnect

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  Will course/lab fees be covered by Reconnect?

  Yes, Reconnect will cover course fees that apply toward the program of study.

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  I have an outstanding balance. Can I register and use Reconnect funds?

  Yes, you will need to contact the Student Finance Office at 517-483-1200 option 3 or via email at student_finance@lcc.edu.

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  I pay out-of-district (in-state) tuition. Will Reconnect cover my tuition?

  No, Reconnect only covers in-district tuition costs. Students will have to pay the difference between the in-district and out-of-district (in-state) tuition. For example, a student will have to pay $960 in tuition if enrolled for 8-billing hours and paying out-of-district (in-state) tuition. In-district tuition is $960 ($120 x 8) and out of district (in-state) is $1920 ($240 x 8). Therefore, the student's out-of-pocket costs are $960 ($1920-$960).

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  Can my Federal Pell Grant or other tuition-restricted scholarships or grants cover the out-of-district (in-state) portion of my cost since Reconnect will only cover the in-district portion?

  Yes. The State of Michigan rules will now allow colleges to award out-of-district students Reconnect funding if Federal Pell Grant and/or other tuition-restricted scholarships or grants is less than or equal to the out-of-district tuition and mandatory fees. An example of the required calculation is below.

  Out-of-District (In-State) Tuition $3,085

    $1,645  In-District Portion of Total Tuition
  - $2,000  Federal Pell Grant
    $       0  Reconnect

    $3,085  Total Tuition -with out-of-district additional charges
  - $2,000  Federal Pell Grant 
    $1,085  Remaining Balance

  *In this example starting Fall 2023 Reconnect will cover the remaining balance in full because Reconnect can pay up to $1,609.

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  If I do not meet the renewal eligibility requirements, can Reconnect be reinstated in future years?

  If a student lost eligibility for continuous enrollment or do not earn the 12 credits annually, they may be eligible to complete a Leave of Absence/Continued Eligibility Appeal. Please contact financialaid@star.lcc.edu to receive additional information about the appeal process.

  A student cannot be reinstated once they have been denied during the annual review process if they were not meeting the 2.0 GPA requirement for courses while they were in the program and are not meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. Once a student an Associate’s degree; the award cannot be reinstated. Please see Renewal Requirements above.

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  Do I need to sign-up for a Payment Plan?

  Yes, students without enough financial aid to cover their balance due are required to sign up for a payment plan or pay in full.

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  Does Reconnect pay for remedial or developmental education courses?

  Yes, as long as the student is pursuing a financial aid eligible program. An aid eligible program is any program which grants an associate degree and any certificate program of at least 16 credits in length. Please visit Remedial or Developmental Education Courses for more details.

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  Can I use Reconnect to earn more than one certificate during the 4-year eligibility period?

  No, it can only be used for one certificate.

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  How many times can I repeat a course and use Reconnect funds?

  Reconnect follows the federal financial aid rules on repeating coursework. Federal rules allow a student to repeat a passed course only one additional time and a failed course multiple times until passed. Please visit Financial Aid Policies.

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  Can I change my program of study?

  Yes, a student may change to another financial aid eligible certificate or associate degree program. Students may not receive Reconnect funding after earning an associate degree.

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  If I am in default on a federal loan, can I receive Reconnect?

  Yes, students in default on a federal loan are able to receive Reconnect.

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  Can I receive Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners (F4F) at the same time?

  • No, students cannot receive funds from both programs.
  • Students can transition from F4F to Reconnect but once a student is in Reconnect Expansion they stay in the Expansion program and cannot transition to the Regular Reconnect program.