What is the College Completion Corps?
MCAN’s College Completion Corps places AmeriCorps members on community college campuses across Michigan. As a completion coach, each full-time member serves a campus-defined cohort of 100-150 students who are first-generation, low-income and/or students of color, with a focus on college persistence and completion.
What do completion coaches do?
Completion coaches advocate for students and foster connections, integrate into the campus support structure, and engage in data-informed monitoring to direct their outreach.
Together, coaches and students will:
- Create a completion plan that will outline a strategy for FAFSA completion,
- Identify a student's support team,
- Structure a schedule for class attendance and coursework submission, and
- Define a plan for course selection and registration for the next semesters.
It is estimated that Completion Coaches will engage with each student for 16 hours over the course of the academic year. These interactions will include one-on-one meetings to advance on benchmarks and address challenges that arise; group activities and meetings to boost sense of belonging and self-efficacy; and technology-based interaction (text, email and phone) to build focus on dates and deadlines.
What is AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that focus on improving lives and fostering civic engagement. Members commit their time to addressing critical community needs, like increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more. Tens of thousands of people serve with AmeriCorps and Senior Corps each year in projects all across the country. People who serve with AmeriCorps are called members, and they enjoy a unique status - AmeriCorps is not a job and it is not volunteerism; it is its own designation as a national service position. For their service, members receive a living stipend, education award, health coverage and other benefits. While members serve communities and help address urgent needs in America, they are also focusing on their own professional development and gaining skills to launch into their next step.
Can I defer student loans during my service with AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps members may qualify for postponement, or forbearance, of the repayment of their loans during service. The education award will help you pay off qualified student loans when you're finished. You may also qualify to have the interest accrued on your student loans during service paid for by the National Service Trust. Contact your lender for more specific information or to confirm your loan status during AmeriCorps service. For more information, please visit our Postponement page.
Can I join College Completion Corps if I am not a U.S. Citizen?
In order to serve with AmeriCorps, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or legal permanent resident alien of the United States to serve as an AmeriCorps member.
What is the living stipend?
A living stipend is the amount you are paid during your year of service. AmeriCorps members with College Completion Corps are paid bi-weekly and their living stipend is divided between the pay periods of their service year. The current living stipend amount is $30,000 before tax.
What is the education award?
The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is a post-service benefit earned by individuals who complete approved terms of national service in AmeriCorps programs. The award may be used to pay educational expenses at eligible post-secondary institutions, including many technical schools and G.I. Bill approved programs, or to repay qualified students loans. The dollar amount of the education award is equal to the maximum amount of the U.S. Department of Education Pell Grant and may change year to year. The 2023-24 amount of the Education Award is $6,845 before taxes.
Do I need success coaching experience or do I need to have a certain major to apply for College Completion Corps?
No! College Completion Corps does not require any experience or a specific major. We are proud of the robust training we are able to provide to our members to help prepare them to enter their service sites.
How are community college placements determined? Do I get to choose where I serve?
During the application process, applicants are asked where they would like to serve. College Completion Corps staff then set up interviews with those institutions. We do require coaches live within 45 minutes of their service site. It is important for a coach to be accessible to the students they serve and have some level of familiarity with the campus and/or the community. Colleges throughout Michigan apply to host Completion Coaches through a competitive process to determine where placements will be awarded.
Who is eligible to apply for the Completion Coach position?
Applicants must hold a bachelor's or associate degree and be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or legal permanent resident alien of the United States.
Is this a full-time job?
This is a service position that requires full-time hours. Completion Coaches are required to complete 1700 hours throughout the course of their service term, which equates to roughly 40 hours per week.
How do I apply to become a Completion Coach?
Visit Become a Completion Coach to learn more and apply.
This webpage is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers.