Community college is often the more affordable path, but it’s still not free once rent, food, transportation and childcare enter the picture. Solid Ground Nebraska’s Student Success Stipends program provides monthly unrestricted cash to selected Metropolitan Community College students who are working toward a credential while managing everyday expenses.
The program is a research pilot, and 350 selected students will receive monthly stipends.
What the Program Offers
Unlike a traditional scholarship, Student Success Stipends aren’t limited to tuition or other school expenses. Participants can use the money based on their own needs, including expenses such as housing, food, transportation or childcare.
There isn’t one standard monthly payment for everyone.
Instead, each participant’s stipend is personalized based on the gap between their current income and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) threshold that applies to their household. The calculation takes factors such as household size, income, housing circumstances and applicable tax credits into account.
Solid Ground Nebraska provides these examples:
- A single parent with one child earning $16,000 per year could receive $735 per month.
- A two-parent household with two children earning $32,000 per year could receive $291 per month.
These are examples, not guaranteed payment amounts. Your actual stipend would depend on your household’s circumstances.
Monthly payments are provided through a reloadable debit card.
How Long Can You Receive the Stipend?
Selected participants receive payments for a minimum of 12 months and up to three years.
Income is recertified annually, so the amount of assistance may change as a participant’s financial circumstances change.
The program also avoids ending assistance all at once. As a participant reaches the end of their time in the program, the stipend decreases by 10% each month rather than immediately dropping to zero.
Who Qualifies
To qualify for the Student Success Stipends program, you must meet all of these requirements:
- Be 19 years old or older
- Be enrolled in a credit or noncredit program at Metropolitan Community College
- Be working toward a credential, certificate or associate degree
- Not be dually enrolled as a high school student
- Not be claimed as a dependent by your parents
You don’t have to be a parent to qualify.
Why Not Everyone Who Qualifies Will Receive a Stipend
Student Success Stipends is a research pilot, not a permanent benefit program.
The project is being conducted as a randomized controlled trial in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research.
Qualified applicants are randomly assigned as part of the study.
The research includes:
- 350 participants in the treatment group who receive the monthly Student Success Stipends
- 400 participants in the comparison group who do not receive the monthly stipend but are compensated for participating in the research
Because selection is randomized and space is limited, meeting all of the eligibility requirements does not guarantee that you’ll receive monthly cash assistance.
How to Apply
Eligible Metropolitan Community College students can apply during an official program enrollment window.
Solid Ground Nebraska does not currently publish specific dates for the next enrollment window on its Student Success Stipends page, so students should check the program’s official information for the latest application availability rather than assuming enrollment is currently open.
Selection isn’t first-come, first-served. Qualified applicants are randomly assigned as part of the research study.
Relief Recap
Solid Ground Nebraska’s Student Success Stipends program provides personalized monthly cash assistance to selected Metropolitan Community College students who are at least 19 and working toward a credential, certificate or associate degree.
Stipend amounts vary based on each participant’s financial circumstances. Selected students can receive payments for at least 12 months and up to three years, with annual income recertification and a gradual 10% monthly reduction as their participation comes to an end.
The program is a research pilot with 350 stipend recipients and 400 comparison-group participants, so qualifying doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive the monthly stipend.
If food, housing or other everyday expenses are making it difficult to stay in school, our hardship grants roundup has more resources worth checking.
