Richmond Community College — using proceeds from an agreement with its bookstore — has announced that it will cover tuition and fees for many high school students in Richmond and Scotland counties.

Dubbed RichmondCC Guarantee, it promises two free years of college for students from Richmond and Scotland counties, two of the most economically depressed counties in the state of North Carolina.

The Guarantee — which starts next fall — is designed for high-schoolers already in a free dual-enrollment program at the college which started in 2012. About three-quarters of the nearly 400 students enrolled in the program qualify for federal aid. Dr. Dale McInnis, the RCC president, says that his students can expect to save $4,800 in tuition and fees over two years.

He also explained the decision, the first of its kind in the Carolinas. “We wanted to do something that would motivate and incentivize families and students and high schools – that if they put forth the effort and take advantage of the programs and the courses … there’s a reward at the end of the rainbow. Putting the word ‘free’ attached to it made it more powerful.”