Free Legal Advice, New Tuition Aid, and More Await Students in the New Semester

 
PHILADELPHIA, August 18, 2014—The 2014-2015 academic year offers a range of new programs and initiatives to support Philadelphia learners. Among the unique offerings - free legal assistance for students each Wednesday on the Main Campus. Attorneys who specialize in areas such as housing, employment, utilities, government benefits, and other consumer related issues will assist students with issues that could potentially interfere with students’ educational goals.
 
Community College of Philadelphia is committed to helping students persist, and the legal aid joins a range of services designed to help them stay in school while weathering life’s storms. The new offering is through the Single Stop USA office, which provides free and comprehensive social and financial services such as benefits screening and tax preparation free of charge for students. Legal advice is available on a set schedule, with advice for utility shut-offs and billing issues offered August 27; and issues with government benefits offered September 3. For additional dates and topics this fall, students should visit the Single Stop office in room M1-21 of the Mint building or call 267-299-5910. Last year, Single Stop served more than 1,000 students at the College in its inaugural year. Participants who received help with taxes netted more than $1 million in tax refunds.
 
Among the other exciting new developments for Fall:
 
* New Tuition Aid Program Offers Incentive to Complete Degrees Faster
 
The new Complete With 15 initiative makes a degree more affordable while reducing the amount of time to earn one. It offers eligible students, who were enrolled in at least nine and no more than 14 credits their previous semester, a scholarship to cover the cost of an additional three-credit course and fees. Taking an additional course helps full-time students complete program requirements sooner. For more eligibility requirements visit http://www.ccp.edu/paying-college/tuition-assistance-programs/complete-15 or call the office of Student Success initiatives at 215-751-8136.
 
* Pell Grant Funds Increase
 
The maximum Pell Grant award for the 2014-15 academic year is $5,730 - an $85 increase over last year. Also, effective with the 2014-2015 FAFSA, any legal marriage will be recognized for financial aid purposes without regard to whether the marriage is between persons of the same sex. Student should check their College email account and their MyCCP account portal for financial aid updates.
 
* New Biology Laboratory and Degree
 
In August, the new Interdisciplinary Research Room opened on the fourth floor of the West building and the College joined a growing number of two-year institutions across the nation with professional research laboratories on campus. The lab is equipped for academic research in cell and or molecular physiology, and bacterial protein physiology, and was created with the help of a $230,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. Students now have the option of earning a new Associate in Science degree in Biology. Additionally, a new biochemistry major will be available in spring 2015 for students interested in preparing for pre-medical training.
 
* Tuition Freeze
 
The College made the decision to keep the current tuition rate at $153 per credit hour for Philadelphia residents, and forego an increase. A growing number of its students are turning to loans to pay for their community college education. The College is the largest public institution of higher education in Philadelphia and the sixth largest in Pennsylvania.
 
Community College of Philadelphia is the largest public institution of higher education in Philadelphia and the sixth largest in Pennsylvania. The College enrolls approximately 34,000 students annually and offers day, evening and weekend classes, as well as classes online. Visit the College at www.ccp.edu. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.