In 2016, the San Diego Community College District launched the San Diego Promise, which implements a local version of America's College Promise for free community colleges. The San Diego Promise pays for enrollment fees and provides book grants for participating students at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges. The San Diego Promise is ultimately intended to ensure that no deserving local students are
denied the opportunity to go to college due to lack of resources. Started as a pilot program with 186 students, the San Diego Promise will expand to 800 students in 2017-18. Program participants are required to be enrolled in at least 12 units for both fall and spring, participate in eight hours of community service, and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. The program is limited to graduating seniors from the San Diego Unified School District, eligible students from San Diego Continuing Education, and students from the Monarch School, which serves homeless students in downtown San Diego.
