DELMAR PROMISE: Dr. Michael Bleile, superintendent of the Delmar School District in Delaware, and Deborah Casey, Ph.D., president of Wor-Wic Community College, hold a partnership agreement signed upon the passage of a bill allowing Delmar, Md., students to qualify for the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship.
Wor-Wic Community College recently gathered with Delmar school officials and local lawmakers to celebrate the passage of a bill to include Delmar, Md., high school graduates in the Maryland Community College Promise scholarship.
For many Wor-Wic students, the Promise scholarship can make college essentially free. “The cost can play a significant role in a family’s determination as to whether a student chooses to go to college or not,” said Deborah Casey, Ph.D., president of Wor-Wic. “But beyond providing access, it is linked to stronger student success outcomes. At Wor-Wic, Promise recipients enrolled in more credits per term, which means finishing college faster, and they were more likely to maintain positive academic standing. It can be a big boost to a student’s success.”
But ever since its inception in 2019, the Maryland residents of Delmar, a town that falls across two states, were deemed ineligible because Delmar High School is located on the Delaware side, so its Maryland graduates weren’t technically “Maryland high school” grads, and therefore didn’t qualify — until now, with the passage of Senate Bill 728.
The bill altered the Community College Promise eligibility to include Delmar, Md., grads, thanks to efforts by local senators and representatives, as well as Delmar teen Jackson Luffman, who testified before lawmakers about the importance of the bill. Luffman was among the many who gathered at Wor-Wic to witness the signing of a partnership agreement between Wor-Wic and the Delmar school district. The agreement acknowledges the passage of SB 728 and affirms that Wor-Wic and the Delmar School District will collaborate to support and guide Delmar students who wish to pursue studies at Wor-Wic, through the Promise scholarship and other avenues.
Though the 2026 deadline is past, students can start planning now to fill out the FAFSA form and contact Wor-Wic’s financial aid office to make sure they can take advantage of earning a high-demand degree at an affordable cost.