What Makes the Holland/Zeeland Promise Unique?
The Holland/Zeeland Promise began as a dream to allow our area’s youth to graduate college or technical school without the burden of student debt. Promise candidates are nominated by their high school or Careerline Tech Center guidance counselors, or staff from local youth-serving organizations. Selection is based on a range of factors including high financial need, the motivation to achieve a college or technical degree and proven academic success. Many Promise recipients are the first in their families to go to college.
Support Promise Scholars
Join other local families and businesses in furthering access to education by becoming a donor! Many donors make a four-year pledge, their “promise” to see scholars all the way through to graduation.
How Does the Promise Work?
It’s a last-dollar scholarship which means that after other grants and scholarships have been applied, we cover the remaining cost of tuition, books, room, and board. Our goal is for students to graduate debt free or as debt free as possible.
The Promise offers a side-by-side approach, addressing not only financial needs, but also academic and socio-emotional needs. We check in with students monthly to see how they are handling classes and life at school and connect them with campus resources.
Extra support is provided through local partnerships: mental health counseling is available through Mosaic Counseling and career coaching is provided through Thompson M-TEC.
Unlike many other scholarships, the Promise is renewable for additional undergraduate years, dependent on students remaining in good academic standing and making progress toward their degrees.
The program encourages peer mentoring by bringing students together at an annual summer gathering.
To date the Promise boasts a 95 percent graduation rate in comparison to a national average graduation rate of 63 percent (National Student Clearinghouse).
Many Promise graduates return to our community to live, work, and give back.
Meet the 2024 Promise Scholars
Fifteen new Promise Scholars were chosen in 2024!
Promise Partners
The dream of offering scholarships to motivated students, many the first in their families to attend college, could not happen without the support of our Promise donors.
Changing Lives through the Holland/Zeeland Promise
A full spectrum of financial, social, and emotional support has empowered Promise scholars to achieve a graduation rate far higher than the national average.
Learn more in this article from the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce’s monthly publication.
A Q&A with Julian Lugo, Promise Graduate
Julian Lugo is a former Holland/Zeeland Promise Scholarship program scholar and graduate of Hope College. He now serves as Director of Programs at Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP). We sat down with Julian for a brief update on life since graduation, his role at LAUP, and the Promise’s impact on his life.
Promise Scholarship Process
Promise candidates are nominated by their high school or Careerline Tech Center counselors, or staff at local youth-serving nonprofit organizations.
Nominated candidates are contacted by our Director of Scholarships and given instructions regarding the application and selection process.
Selection is rigorous and based on a range of factors. High financial need, the motivation to achieve the goal of a college or technical degree and strong recommendations are priorities.

Have Questions About the Promise?
For more information or questions about scholarships, contact Stacy Timmerman, Director of Scholarships via email.

¿Tiene preguntas o necesita ayuda en español?
Comuníquese con Mitch Doyle, el oficial del programa/consejera universitaria, por correo electrónico.