Got Questions?

 Participation in a summer program as the first college experience is mandatory. For information on how to participate in each program, please visit the Summer Bridge and STEP websites. To apply to receive funding for the Summer term, submit a financial aid application for academic year.

Please refer to our homepage and view Benefits.

The program serves up-to 1,000 students each year and is only open to applicants once a year; Interested students must participate in either the STEP into College or Summer Bridge program the summer term prior to their first Fall semester. The program is only for first-time college students that have never attended college.

Students interested in receiving two years of Promise+Plus benefits must participate in either summer program.  The STEP into College program does offer hybrid and virtual options. 

Student must maintain a 2.0 GPA  during their STEP into College and Bridge classes. Promise+Plus students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to receive term to term program benefits.

• Submit a Summer college application. *students must select a major of study. Certificates under 16 units and undecided major students are not eligible for CA Promise Programs.
• Apply for financial aid current academic year FASFA or CA Dream Act.
• Apply and participate in either of the following  summer programs: Summer Bridge OR STEP Into College.
• Select the "Participate" tab on our website  or click here: PARTICIPATE
• Once verified, you will be sent emails to attend our mandatory Kick Off event.  At this event, we will go over program requirements, benefits and campus resources.  Attendance at the Kick Off event is mandatory in order to be in Promise Plus.

• Select the "Participate" tab on our website  or click here: PARTICIPATE

There is no application to apply to the Promise Plus program.  We will verify students that participate in the BRIDGE/STEP program and send an email to those students that qualify based on the qualification standards.  Students must complete the additional Steps to Apply and check their Mt. SAC student email regularly throughout Summer. Notices of acceptance into Promise+Plus will not be sent until all Steps to Apply are completed and all supplemental documents are provided to Financial Aid. If you receive an email that something is missing as part of our verification you will be given a deadline to submit/complete the step.  

High School students participating in dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, articulation courses, or special admit program, are eligible for Promise+Plus as a first-time college student.

Promise+Plus is for first-time college students/never attended college. Interested students cannot have attended any US or International college, whether that be a community college, UC, Cal State, Out of State, Private, etc.

No, the program is only available to California Residents.

• Submitting an academic year FAFSA or CA Dream Act is a requirement of all California Promise Programs across the state.
• Students interested in Promise+Plus must complete the financial aid process for FAFSA or CA Dream Act, including submitting any additional documents requested by the Mt. SAC Financial Aid Department.

To be eligible for Promise+Plus benefits, completing the FAFSA or CA Dream Act is required; however, not qualifying for financial aid does not impact students eligibility for Promise+Plus Benefits. Students that are ineligible for financial aid will receive payment of mandatory fees (not tuition) and book grant as well as other incentives.

Students eligible for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) (fee waiver) that combine the benefits of the CA Promise Program (known at Mt. SAC as Promise+Plus), could pay close to nothing for college due to the additional financial benefits such as book vouchers!

• Promise+Plus does offers unique benefits, but it is best to do your research on what other community colleges offer. CA College Promise programs vary at each college.
• Students eligible for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) (fee waiver) that combine the benefits of the CA Promise Program (known at Mt. SAC as Promise+Plus), could pay close to nothing for college due to the additional financial benefits such as book grants!

California College Promise Grant (CCPG) (previously known as the BOG fee waiver) is applied after completing the FAFSA or CA Dream Act application and demonstrating $1,104 or more of financial need. The CCPG waives your tuition fees from a $46 per unit cost to $0 per unit, covering your tuition! Promise+Plus covers the mandatory fees (not tuition) as well as offer additional benefits such as book voucher, food cards, laptop loaner programs, and additional school supplies. If you qualify for CCPG and Promise+Plus, you have combined resources and would pay $0 for Fall and Spring Semesters at Mt. SAC!
For more information visit: https://www.mtsac.edu/financialaid/

We encourage students to check their Mt. SAC student email regularly through the portal throughout Summer. Initial eligibility does not mean you are admitted to Promise+Plus. There are prerequisites to establishing eligibility such completing STEP or Summer Bridge, submitting the academic year FAFSA or CA Dream Act, and registering for at minimum 6 units.

Initial benefits are awarded to eligible students that are accepted to Promise+Plus for the Fall  semester during a mandatory Orientation event.  For information on maintaining term-to-term eligibility visit the home page, Maintaining Eligibility.

Only students that meet all the requirements and are accepted to the program will be invited to the kick-off event. Unavailable students must email promiseplus@mtsac.edu with proof of why they are unable to attend. If it is an excusable absence, a make-up session will be scheduled.

Once students are officially accepted into Promise+Plus, they will receive a refund for the mandatory fees (not tuition) that were paid in advance of Promise+Plus paying them for the term they are accepted in. The Promise Plus program doesn't cover tuition.

Parking: We cannot reimburse parking once you have paid for it.  It is best to wait until the benefit request is available for you to request.

Students that maintain term to term program eligibility will receive a second year of benefits. However early registration is only for the first year of college. Notification will be sent to through the Mt. SAC email over the Summer term.

Students that maintain their eligibility for continued benefits for their second year will receive all the same benefits with the exception of early registration. Early registration is only available for the first year.

Students are encouraged to check their Mt. SAC email weekly for important updates. The program sends multiple communication related to general announcements that apply to all Promise+Plus students and information specific to each student. In addition, the program makes phone calls to students that are at risk of losing benefits if they are not meeting program requirements. All program emails are important!

 These are workshops that are hosted by the Promise+Plus program. These workshops may be lead by our very own Promise Counselors and staff. These workshops will count towards your workshop requirement, but are not mandatory.

*Promise Orientation is a mandatory event  to accept benefits for each academic year. We will state if an event is mandatory. 

Yes, participation in campus events/workshops is a requirement for first year and second year benefits. To maintain eligibility. Students must attend at minimum one campus event or workshop each semester and make a counseling appointment each semester. We recommend that students work with a counselor to complete their mountie academic plan (MAP).

Students can attend any on-campus workshop/event (virtual or in-person) to count towards your Promise+Plus workshop requirement. These include workshops that are hosted by: Associated Students, Bridge, EOPS, El Centro, Equity Programs, Health Services, International Students, Money Management, and other student programs! You can find more events on the Campus Event Calendar. You can find more events on the Campus Event Calendar here 

The Promise+Plus counselors and staff will host and promote events and workshops that are designed to help you in your academic journey and support your personal interests and goals. For events hosted by Promise you can find these events on the Promise+Plus Events Calendar the link below will take you to our calendar, please select the "month" view to see both dates available 

In addition, the program will email students  reminders for high demand workshops. Students must remember to check their Mt. SAC email regularly. 

Students can self-submit our Promise Workshop Attendance Form to receive credit. Please make sure you input your full and complete name & Mt. SAC ID#, to ensure we accurately update your workshop attendance.

You can fill out the form here: Promise+Plus Workshop Attendance Form

 Yes, attending a counseling appointment is a requirement for first year and second year benefits to maintain eligibility. Students are responsible for scheduling their own counseling appointment through the semesters. To schedule and appointment with a Promise Counselor please go to the "Current Promise+Plus Students" tab. To schedule with General Counseling please visit https://www.mtsac.edu/counseling/

 To schedule and appointment with a Promise Counselor please go to the "Current Promise+Plus Students" tab. To schedule with General Counseling please visit https://www.mtsac.edu/counseling/

Yes. If you are currently in a student support program such as EOPS, Honors, or DREAM, we accept those appointments to meet our requirement. Counseling appointments within these programs count towards meeting this requirement.

 The Promise+Plus program is only approving two types of counseling appointments: Phone appointments and Video appointments with a counselor. These appointments must be a full appointment, approximately 45 minutes in length. We recommend that students work with a counselor to complete their Mountie Academic Plan (MAP).

In order to count for the current term, double check that your appointment fall within the dates of the term to ensure it will count.

For example, if a term begins on August 22nd and ends on December 9th, any appointments before or after those dates would not count for that specific term. 

Promise automatically gathers counseling appointment records, students do not have to submit proof of attendance.
Counseling Appointments must be with a counselor (Educational Advisors, Specialist, or Coordinators do not count). Appointments must be for a minimum of 30 minutes to meet program requirements. 
Students will receive updated status emails confirmed on a monthly basis if your counseling appointments has been recorded as completed. Remember to check your Mt. SAC student email weekly. 

First-Year Promise+Plus students receive EARLY registration, which is the second day of registration.

Students should check their Mt. SAC email for updates. Prior to the start of each semester, students receive an email with the book grant and additional information on when to expect benefits in the student's Mt. SAC email address. 

The Promise+Plus Book Grant is issued directly to you through your Financial Aid Award Package. Depending on how you set up your account it will either go directly to your bank account or be mailed directly to your home. 

 Yes, you can use your P+P Book Grant to purchase books at the retailer of your choice, including the SAC Book Rac (Mt. SAC bookstore).

Students may only use up-to the maximum cost of the book grant per semester. However, there are additional services on campus that may minimize text book costs. Visit the SAC Book Rac (bookstore) for the text book loan program or visit the library reserves section. Many professors reserve required textbooks in the library.

Students may use multiple book grants to purchase text books from the retailer of your choice. 

Please click on the hold for a description of the hold on the student portal. Promise+Plus does not place any holds on student records. However, if the student participated in the laptop loan program and did not return the technology by return date, student will need to contact the Help Desk directly at (909) 274-4357 (HELP) to schedule an appointment to return the technology.

• This is a minimum GPA requirement to stay eligible to receive benefits. Students that earn over a 2.0 GPA may lose program eligibility.

Email promiseplus@mtsac.edu .Current Promise+Plus students are encouraged to always include their full name and ID# when requesting specific information about their personal records. For general program questions call (909)274-5688.