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Detroit Promise

A foundational overview

Wytrice Harris M.Ed.

Senior Director, College Success and Partnerships

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Michigan Promise Timeline

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How to Become a Michigan Promise Zone

Tax Capture: A Promise Zone must award scholarships with its own resources for two years and then can capture half the growth in Michigan's State Education Tax (SET) within the zone's boundaries to help pay for its Promise. The SET is a six-mill property tax levied on all property in the state that is not exempt.

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Structures and Roles

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Detroit Promise Timeline

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Detroit Promise Staff

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Detroit Promise Overview

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Detroit Promise Eligibility

Scholars must live in Detroit and attend and graduate from any high school in Detroit to be eligible (two years for community college, four years for university)
All Detroit high schools are eligible (public, private, charter, parochial, etc.)

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Detroit Promise Application Process

9th – 12th grade scholars can apply at detroitpromise.com
The application is simple and takes 5 minutes for scholars to complete
Detroit Promise’s outreach strategy includes our high school outreach team—consisting of the K-12 Manager and three high school outreach coordinators—visiting all 54+ high schools in Detroit to register scholars.

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Verification Process for High School Seniors

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Applications by Graduation Year

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Senior Applications by Year

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Detroit Promise Student Demographics

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6-Year Completion Rates

63% of scholars from the 2016-2018 cohorts who initially enrolled at a four-year partner completed a degree within six years, five points below the national average for those combined years.
The completion rate for Black scholars (61%) is 12 points higher than the national average.
19% of Promise scholars who initially enrolled at a two-year partner completed a degree within six years, well below the national average but above the overall rate for scholars from Detroit (12%)

Currently there are 2,464 Detroit Promise scholars enrolled in college in the 2024 – 2025 school year

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Questions?

Thank you!

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Thank You!

Wytrice Harris, M.Ed.�Senior Director, �College Success and Partnerships

wharris@detroitchamber.com