Del Mar College students in the Freedom to Dream program, in which eligible full-time students get free tuition, are more likely to reenroll at the school compared to the historical college average.
Across the college, about half of students stuck with their program between fall 2024 and spring 2025, while about half didn’t reenroll, according to data shared with the college Board of Regents on April 7.
This year, Freedom to Dream students persisted at a much higher rate. About 8 out of 10 Freedom to Dream students reenrolled after their first semester this fall.
The college launched Freedom to Dream in fall 2025, offering first-time college students a tuition waiver if they committed in a formal agreement to enroll in at least 12 semester credit hours a semester and maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average.
The program is only open to students residing in the Del Mar College taxing district. Adult learners with no more than 12 credit hours are eligible, as well as recent high school graduates, regardless of how many dual credit hours they’d completed.
The college is accepting applications for year two of Freedom to Dream through April 30.
Who applied for Freedom to Dream in its first year?
More than 5,000 students applied, though many did not meet the requirements. The college approved 1,717 applications, resulting in 1,684 students enrolling in the fall.
Only about 15% of approved applicants were dual credit high school seniors when they applied. The largest population category was nontraditional students, which refers to adult learners. Forty percent of approved applicants were non-dual credit seniors.
More than 1,000 enrolled with no previous semester credit hours.
Many students, nearly 1,200, aim to eventually transfer to another institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
“Overall, the data reinforces that Freedom to Dream is successfully serving early-stage, high-aspiration students,” Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Benavides-Dominguez said.
Del Mar College addresses college-readiness
The college underestimated how prepared the first Freedom to Dream cohort would be for college-level coursework. Of the approved applicants, about 1,000 were not college- or program-ready. This means they needed to take developmental coursework in reading, English or math before taking college-level classes.
College President and CEO Mark Escamilla said that despite students coming in less college-ready than the college anticipated when it designed the program, they are persisting at higher rates than predicted.
The college is tweaking the program for the next cohort of students, who are applying now to start college in fall 2026. The college will only offer the tuition waiver to college-ready students if they are pursuing associate degrees, though opportunities for students who aren’t ready exist in continuing education pathways.
The college still encourages all interested students to apply, even if they think they might not be fully college-ready.
“Let us determine that and let us help you through it, because there are still many, many golden opportunities,” Escamilla said.
Though Freedom to Dream doesn’t cover the cost of developmental courses, other funding opportunities exist, including scholarships and grants. Additionally, some students might be able to start with continuing education courses that are covered by Freedom to Dream.
The first iteration of the program was focused only on associate degrees. Now the college is also offering the tuition waiver to students in certain high-demand continuing education programs.
What does the early data show about year two Freedom to Dream applicants?
So far, the college has processed more than 2,650 applications. The exact number has likely grown since the data was prepared for the presentation to the Board of Regents.
Of the first 2,650 applications, about half have provisional approval, likely meeting the eligibility requirements of the program. About 55% of those are non-dual credit seniors. Nontraditional students make up 22%.
However, 58% of these students haven’t yet been evaluated for college-readiness. So far, 20% have been deemed ready for college and their chosen program. But 22% aren’t college-ready.
What other financial opportunities exist?
In addition to the tuition waiver, students can apply for other scholarships, grants and loans. These funds can be used not only to cover the cost of textbooks and other education costs, but also to cover other cost-of-living expenses students face.
This includes needs like transportation, food and housing.
More than 1,000 Freedom to Dream students also received other financial aid awards. More than $306,300 was awarded by the Del Mar College Foundation to Freedom to Dream students.
These students received more than $2.9 million through the federal Pell Grant program, $418,400 in state grants and $76,420 in institutional grants.
Benavides-Dominguez said that the 684 students who didn’t receive financial aid represent an opportunity for the college to help more students connect with financial aid to reduce the risk of students quitting due to cost.
Olivia Garrett covers education and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: This group of students is more likely to reenroll at Del Mar College
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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