Waterbury Promise

There's Power In Our Promise!  

Established in collaboration with the City of Waterbury and
Waterbury Public Schools, Waterbury Promise is dedicated to building a
generation of college graduates right here in the Brass City. Our
mission is to increase college aspirations, reduce financial barriers and
inspire every student toward post-secondary education and completion. 

We
are so much more than a scholarship program! Our comprehensive college access and
success model provides a generous last-dollar scholarship of
up to $5,000 per scholar per year of college (that’s up to $20,000
towards a life-changing college degree), vital matching grants of up
to $5,000 per year from incredible university partners like UConn, ECSU, Post
University, and Quinnipiac University, and $25,000 per year
from the University of New Haven, the University of Bridgeport and Albertus
Magnus, as well as critical support services to help talented
Waterbury students get to college, thrive there, persist through graduation and
be career ready to help create a robust and diverse talent pipeline for our
regional economy. Hear from our scholars about the program's incredible
reach and impact in our video There's Power in Our Promise! 

Now
in our fifth year, Waterbury Promise is honored to support 880 scholars across 23 Connecticut
colleges and universities, has disbursed more than $2.2 million in
scholarships to make college more affordable, has registered a 95%
college persistence rate, and in just a few months, will grow to
serve more than 1,000 students as we onboard the members of our 2026
cohort.  Our cohort size grew by more than 25% last year, and more than
400 Waterbury high school seniors are currently eligible and on track to become
Waterbury Promise Scholars this June! Next month, our transformative program
will reach a critical milestone when the members of our inaugural cohort
walk the stage and earn their bachelor’s degrees! We are PROMISE PROUD!   

To become a Waterbury Promise Scholar, a student must: be a
Waterbury resident; attend all 4 years of high school and graduate from
Waterbury Public Schools, Holy Cross or Kaynor Tech; earn a cumulative GPA of
3.0 or better; achieve a 90% or better cumulative attendance rate; apply to and
be accepted at a 2- or 4-year accredited college or university in Connecticut;
and complete and submit the FAFSA.  There is no application process—students
simply qualify and enroll into the program.

Help us create a brighter future for talented Waterbury youth,
their families and our very special community! Support our growing program and our future leaders today!

Learn more at https://www.waterburypromise.org/.