As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer travels the state to tout her free college programs, there is a big statistic her administration ignores—the abysmal graduation rates at Michigan’s community colleges.

Whitmer skipped the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget presentation Wednesday to visit Grand Rapids Community College, where she discussed the impacts of Michigan Reconnect, FOX 17 News reports.

More than 66,000 have enrolled and 8,000 have graduated so far, she said during a short speech, meaning the completion rate is hovering around 12%.

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Michigan Reconnect has been credited with driving increasing student populations at Grand Rapids Community College and elsewhere. Michigan Reconnect covers tuition for adult learners 25 and older at community colleges across the state if they meet eligibility requirements.

While the current FY 2025 School Aid budget provides $23.4 billion to Michigan schools, Whitmer’s FY 2026 recommendations total $21.2 billion, Michigan Advance reports.

The budget recommendation proposes a 4% ongoing increase for university and community college operations to enhance higher education learning and support, according to the FY2026 Budget Book.

In July 2024, Whitmer secured $30 million in funding for the Michigan Guarantee, which gives every high school graduate the chance at an associate’s degree or skills certificate from an in-district community college tuition-free.

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She signed the $23 billion education budget for Fiscal Year 2025 that included more than $116 million for higher education programs, mostly for tuition assistance.

However, while Whitmer and other Democratic leaders tout “free for everyone,” they seemingly fail to look at the data behind graduation rates at two-year colleges—presumably one of the best ways to measure success.

Rick Haglund wrote an op-ed column for the Michigan Advance calling out the issue: “But here’s the problem: Community colleges get a failing grade when it comes to graduation rates. Just making community college free is unlikely to significantly change that.”

A damning study released in 2023 by Business Leaders for Michigan found that the state ranked 49th in community college graduation rates. Just 27% of community college students in the state graduated in six years, according to the study’s 2021 data.

And community college enrollment between 2011 and 2021 fell 56%, placing Michigan 48th among the states.

Just 15.3% of high school graduates were enrolled in a Michigan community college six months after graduating in 2023, down from 25.3% in 2014, according to state statistics.

Experts have attributed the decline to COVID-related labor shortages, which led to a jump in blue-collar wages and prompted recent high school graduates to join the workforce.

Inflation and other cost of living concerns are other deterrents to pursue higher education. Many young adults and nontraditional learners must work full time, or work two and three part-time jobs, to cover rent, gas and groceries.

In addition, Haglund points out that abysmal graduation rates aren’t just a problem for Michigan community colleges.

A national investigation last year by the Associated Press and several other news organizations found that only one out of six community college students who say they plan to get a bachelor’s degree succeeds in doing so. Fewer than half earn any type of credential. Only slightly more than 40% of community college students finish within six years.

“Two-year community colleges have the worst completion rates of any kind of university or college,” the news organizations reported.

Despite throwing money at the problem to increase enrollment, these free college programs are falling short when it comes to students graduating. And it doesn’t look like a trend that will course correct any time soon.

Michigan Republicans have continually blasted Democrats on education policy, especially the state’s failing scores in reading and math proficiency in elementary students. In 2024, only 24% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient in reading, and 37% were proficient in math.

They have blamed Whitmer and COVID shutdowns for pandemic learning loss, but recent NAEP scores showed no improvement in reading scores since before COVID.

In fact, Michigan’s scores reflect what the NAEP results show on the national level: Students are not at or near where they were before the pandemic.

“There are going to be a lot more kids than we would hope are going to struggle with later life schooling and labor market outcomes,” said Dan Goldhaber, a researcher who studies student achievement and member of the National Center for Education Statistics standing committee. “Because there is a pretty strong connection between how well kids do on tests and their later life outcomes.”