For students in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, the Power of YOU is a program that makes college available tuition-free, covering the cost of tuition and fees for two years or up to 72 credits at Minneapolis Community and Technical College and Saint Paul College through state and federal grants and private scholarships.

The Power of YOU supports as many students as possible based on student need and funds available for the program. Those who begin the Power of YOU may also be eligible for merit-based scholarships to continue on to earn a four-year degree at Augsburg College.

In addition to graduating for qualifying high schools, the Power of YOU requirements include a combined parent and student adjusted gross income of less than $75,000, successful application for federal financial aid and successful completion of Accuplacer assessment tests.

The Power of YOU saw that money was not enough to ensure that students finished or transferred on time, so officials required visits to advisors and the graduation rate has begun to creep up and more students are making progress toward degrees.