The state has now opened the application window for its expanded Michigan Reconnect program, and Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) says early numbers indicate strong demand for the program among previously ineligible demographics.

Launched in 2021, Michigan Reconnect offers tuition-free schooling to adult learners who enroll at an in-district community college. In the past, the program has mostly focused on students 25 years old or older. As The Ticker reported earlier this month, though, Michigan’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget included an expansion of Michigan Reconnect for the 21-24 age bracket.

Applications are now open for the expanded Michigan Reconnect, and NMC reported in a blog post this week that it is already seeing increased demand among the 21-24 demographic.

Per NMC, local students 21-24 submitted 32 applications to Michigan Reconnect last week, “more than half of NMC’s 57 total Reconnect applicants” for the week. That application activity, the college says, “indicated that there’s a strong demand for the opportunity” among young adults.

NMC has already seen a huge impact from Michigan Reconnect in recent years. Director of Admissions Lisa vonReichbauer told The Ticker that NMC had 746 students during the past academic year who were 25 and older and using Michigan Reconnect, and 145 who had “enrolled during the previous 21-24 expansion” of the Reconnect program.