Eligible students who transfer to Wayne State University can get up to two years of free education under a new expansion of the Wayne State Guarantee program, the university has announced.
The expansion covers the full cost of transfer students’ tuition and standard fees, WSU said in a press release. Eligibility requirements include family earnings of $80,000 or less per year and $50,000 or less in assets.
The program was previously open to first-year college students who met that same family earnings threshold. By opening it to full-time transfer students, more than 1,000 additional learners can benefit, the university said.
“Transfer students bring determination, experience and resilience to our campus, and they deserve the same assurance that cost will not stand in the way of completing their education,” Wayne State President Richard A. Bierschbach said in the release. “This expansion strengthens our promise to Michigan families and reinforces Wayne State’s role as a national leader in access and social mobility.”
Last year, more than 1,370 transfer students from nearly 220 institutions enrolled at Wayne State, the university said. Most of them transferred from community colleges (75%) and were enrolled full-time (73%). Almost half of the new transfer students were first-generation college students.
“Expanding the Wayne State Guarantee to transfer students removes one of the most difficult financial barriers to a four-year degree that our students face, and that is something worth celebrating,” Wayne State Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Charles Cotton said in the release.
The school said that about 70% of its full-time, four-year transfer students graduate, far outpacing the statewide rate of 55%.
“Wayne State’s outcomes demonstrate what transfer students can achieve when affordability and student success are aligned,” said Catherine Kay, senior director of financial aid at the university.
Who’s eligible?
The expansion takes effect for students admitted to Wayne State for the fall 2026 semester.
Besides meeting the family earning criteria, transfer students must have at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA from all of their former college institutions. They must also have graduated from a Michigan high school in 2023 or later and meet other conditions.
WSU, which has a total enrollment of more than 24,000, first unveiled the Wayne State Guarantee program in 2023 to provide free tuition to students from families with annual incomes of $70,000. At the time, officials said it would benefit about half of all new incoming students.
In February 2025, the university increased the threshold to $80,000 — notably higher than the median household income in Michigan, which is $72,875, as of 2024.
While transfer students have their tuition paid for up to two years, first-year students can get up to four years of tuition paid for through the program.
Wayne State Guarantee does not cover housing, meal plans, books or course-specific fees, the university says on its website.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wayne State’s free tuition program expands to include transfer students
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
