SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The first year of community college will be free for thousands of California students under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The signing announced Friday creates the "California College Promise" program. It waives course fees for a student's first year of classes.
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Students must apply for the fee waiver and take at least 12 credits per semester.
Each unit now costs $46.
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The community college system estimates 19,000 students would be eligible for the fee waiver, which will cost the state about $31 million annually.
Roughly 1.6 million of the system's 2.3 million students already receive other financial aid.
AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks before signing a number of bills to help address housing needs Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in San Francisco. (California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks before signing a number of bills to help address housing needs Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in San Francisco.)