MCPSS breaks another record with $618 million in college scholarships – WPMI
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by NBC 15
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MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — Mobile County Public Schools’ Class of 2026 continues to break records for college acceptance and scholarship dollars received. New offers from colleges now bring the total to more than 20,000 acceptance letters and $618 million in scholarships.
Through a new state-wide initiative called Alabama Possible, students were invited to apply to multiple colleges in- and out-of- state through a portal. They were “matched” with admissions offers and scholarship dollars from Alabama colleges and universities earlier this month, receiving 12,000 admissions offers and $250 million. On Monday, offers from out-of-state colleges and universities came in at all 12 MCPSS high schools, bringing the total so far to $618 million.
At Vigor High on Monday, students were checking their emails and celebrating with one another as offers rolled in all day. School staff announced the good news over the intercom. Devin Lambert, who plans to study computer science, received offers from 17 different colleges totaling $583,000. He was especially excited to hear back from Alabama A&M University and Jackson State.
“It’s been encouraging and motivating for me and my classmates to get scholarships so fast,” he said. “I feel like Vigor has prepared me for this, with our technology program.”
Madison Abrams of Williamson High said she wasn’t expecting to go to college, until she started receiving offers through the portal. Abrams was already in the process of earning certification as a nursing assistant. But now, with scholarship offers from Spring Hill College, the University of Mobile, and several out-of-state schools, she plans to enroll in a four-year college.
“I thought I was going to get a regular CNA license, that’s it, and I was going to be a CNA for the rest of my life,” Abrams said. “I didn’t really have any hope for going to college, until I received the matches and received the scholarships.”
MCPSS leads Alabama in scholarship offers through this program.
“This shifts the mindset of our students. They understand that receiving a post-secondary education is not only possible, but that now it’s a reality,” said Dr. Monica Motley, Director of School Counseling Services for Mobile County Public Schools. “We are making it a reality for our students by providing them with access to colleges and universities so they can reach their dreams.”
It is also a confidence-booster for students who may have doubted whether they would be accepted to college or who were concerned about how to pay for it. Last year, 650 MCPSS students who received college scholarships were the first in their families to attend college.
Dr. Motley praised the work of Alabama Possible for providing students an easier way to apply for college and for scholarships. Across Alabama, students have received more than $4 billion through the new portal program.
“Alabama Direct Admission is transforming how students in our state access higher education — removing uncertainty and replacing it with opportunity. No matter their ZIP code, every student deserves a clear pathway to a postsecondary journey and a future filled with promise,” said Chandra Scott, Executive Director of Alabama Possible. “This initiative is already changing lives — including right here in Mobile County, where thousands of students are receiving college admission offers and scholarships that make higher education an attainable reality. When students are averaging 11 offers from colleges and universities, Alabama Direct Admission is more than a toolit’s a movement.”
