METRO-COLLEGE

=Metro-College Program=
Metropolitan College is a program that started in 1998 and is designed to help students that attend Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) or University of Louisville attend college. It provides students that do not have a way to afford college a means to get by and pay for their education. There has already been 10,000 participants in this program and another 1,400 are currently participating in the program.[1]
=Getting Involved=
The first thing that one must do before they are even eligible to become part of the Metro-College program is being admitted to either JCTC or UofL. Each school has its own requirements for enrollment, such as at UofL a minimum of a 3.0 and a 21 on your ACT, and also, complete a Free Application for Student Financial Aid otherwise known as FAFSA. After that there is a string of steps that one must follow. The first thing is being hired on to UPS; to do this one can apply at there Hiring Headquarters, or online at https://ups.managehr.com/. After both of those steps are fulfilled the next step is complete an online planning session, to make sure that one is fully aware of what the Metro-college program is asking and offering. After registering for classes there is one more, simple step that one must follow, get his/her contract signed. If a student already has 12 or more credit hours then they can visit one of MC locations either in the Houchens building at the UofL campus, or its location at JCTC[2]. If they do not have 12 or more hours then one will have to schedule a Student Transition Program(STP), which is a one day program that is made to help the student have a smooth transition into college and into the program[2].
=Benefits=

Contents

Tuition

Books

Bonuses

Loans

Insurance

Other

Tuition

Metro-College was created to attract students to UPS to supply part-time employees but, also help them receive an education. MC will pay the instate undergraduate tuition rate no matter what state the person comes from. However, if the student is from out of state then it is their responsibility to cover any additional out of state costs[4].

Books

Also MC will reimburse up to $65 per class for software or Books[4].

Bonuses

The MC program also acknowledges the hard work students put forth in their school work, and distribute a $500 bonus for every fall and spring semester in which 6 hours are taken without any withdrawals or failures. If a withdrawal, incomplete or failure occur then only $350 are awarded to the student that semester.
There are also milestone bonuses that can be achieved with the completion of 30, 60 and 90 credit hours. Each one of these milestone bonuses are worth $600. After 90 credit hours one is eligible to obtain a graduation bonus, for an associates degree or diploma you receive $400, for a baccalaureate with associate degree you receive $1000 and with the completion of a baccalaureate without an associate degree you receive $1400[4].

Loans

Along with all this bonus money a participant in the MC program is also available to take out a maximum of $8000 in student loans which will be paid back in full after 4 consecutive years of working their. The only thing that the borrower is responsible for is the interest that accumulates on the borrowed amount[4].

Insurance

Another benefit not really related to Metro-College program but through UPS is a package deal on Life, Dental, Vision, and Medical insurance[4]. This helps by eliminating a lot of stress off the student if he/she is struggling to afford costs outside the home and away from family.

Other

Other benefits include services such as: tutoring, career counseling center, personal counseling services, Student Activates Center at UofL, UofL gymnasium, ACCESS Center (for Adult Services), Deaf Student Service Offices, and a disability resource center[4].
=Terms and Conditions=

In order to stay in the MC program one must obtain at least a D in each class that he/she takes. Also every semester that he/she wishes to participate in the program a new contract must be signed it is not like the FAFSA which only requires being done once a year. The student can major in any subject that either of the two schools offer and that they are “academically qualified” for. It is not required for a student to be full time, however in order to receive the academic bonuses, they must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours a semester. If a student plans on attending graduate school the MC program will only pay the undergraduate instate rate, the rest is left to the student to pay for. Transferring to any of the three participating schools is allowed, but it is recommended to first see a Metro-College representative. MC does not provide transportation to and from the UPS facilities but with the students school ID or sticker obtained trough the MC program, the TARC is available[4].
=Locations and Contact Information=

More information is available at[3]:
University of Louisville
Houchens Building, Room 3
Louisville, KY 40292
(502) 852-2749
Monday and Thursday 9am-5pm
Tuesday and Wednesday 9am-6pm
-OR-
Jefferson Community and Technical College
200 West Broadway, suite 900
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 213-4520
Monday and Thursday 9am-5pm
Tuesday and Wednesday 9am-6pm
-OR-
JCC Southwest
Student Center, 100A
(502) 213-7376
Mondays only 9am-5pm
=References=
[1] Lyne, Jack . "UPS's $1-Billion Louisville ." Siteselection. 1 June 2006. Conway Data, Inc. 22 Nov 2006 .
[2] Metropolitan College Checklist. Louisville: Metropolitan College, 2006.
[3] Metropolitan College . Louisville: Metro-College, 2006.
[4] "Quick Links." Metropolitan College. 2006. Metropolitan College. 22 Nov 2006 .