The InformED Report from edCircuit for February 14, 2017, opened with San Francisco’s plan to offer free City College tuition to residents, the first city in the country to do so. The edition then turned to Ireland, which had doubled the time international postgraduates may stay and work after finishing their degrees, and closed with an Australian charity that equips children living in domestic violence shelters for school.
Each story dealt with a practical barrier between a student and the classroom, whether tuition, a visa deadline, or a school uniform a family cannot afford, and with who takes responsibility for removing it.
In this edition
- San Francisco will cover tuition at City College for residents of at least a year and a day, backed by nearly $5.4 million a year from a real estate transfer tax.
- Ireland has extended its stay-back option for non-EU master’s and doctoral graduates from 12 months to 24 months, with work of up to 40 hours a week allowed.
- InformED Report spotlight: Zephyr Education delivers uniforms, shoes, and school supplies to children living in domestic violence shelters in Queensland, Australia.
San Francisco makes City College free for residents
Mayor Ed Lee announced on February 6, 2017, that City College of San Francisco would become free for students who live in the city, regardless of income. To qualify, a student must have lived in San Francisco for at least a year and a day, and both full-time and part-time students are eligible. ABC7 News reported that about 30,000 local students were expected to benefit from the following fall.
The city committed nearly $5.4 million a year to City College to cover tuition. The money comes from an increase in the real estate transfer tax on commercial and residential properties valued above $5 million, giving the program a dedicated local revenue source. Supervisor Jane Kim said free tuition would give more San Franciscans the opportunity to enter and stay in the middle class.
Tuition is only part of what a community college student pays. The college’s student expense budget estimated textbooks and supplies at about $1,700 a year for a full-time student, before transportation. Some of the new funding was set aside to offset those costs, and full-time students receiving financial aid were to receive an additional $500. For San Francisco counselors, the change opened a cheaper path from high school to college and a reason to explain the residency rule to families.
Ireland gives international postgraduates two years to stay and work
Ireland extended its stay-back option for graduates from outside the European Union and European Economic Area who complete a master’s degree, postgraduate diploma, or doctorate at an Irish institution. ICEF Monitor reported on February 8, 2017, that the permitted period after graduation rose from 12 months to 24 months for these graduates. Honours bachelor’s graduates kept a 12-month option.
During the stay-back period, graduates may work up to 40 hours a week while they look for employment or decide whether to continue their studies, and they may then apply for a work permit or green card. The change built on a national strategy launched in October 2016 that aimed to raise international enrollment in Irish higher education by 33 percent, to 44,000 students, by 2019/20.
For American educators, the story showed how other countries were competing for internationally mobile students. Post-study work rights are part of what families weigh when a student considers graduate study abroad.
InformED Report spotlight: school supplies for children in domestic violence shelters
The spotlight turned to Zephyr Education, an Australian charity founded in 2013 to help children whose schooling has been disrupted by domestic and family violence. When a mother and her children move into a shelter, the children often have to start at a new school with little of what that school expects. Zephyr’s volunteers deliver what a child needs to begin, including uniforms, shoes, and school supplies, so that the child can arrive ready to learn alongside classmates.
The charity was started by Isabella Bevan, who managed the uniform shop of a large secondary school and was moved by a newspaper article about these children. The episode reported that almost 3,000 children in the Queensland area spend time in domestic violence shelters.
The lesson reaches beyond Australia: a child who enrolls mid-year after leaving an unsafe home should not also stand out for lacking a uniform or supplies. Registrars, counselors, and principals who know which local agencies can provide those things quickly, and who handle such enrollments discreetly, can make the first day at a new school considerably easier.
Sources
- Lyanne Melendez, “San Francisco will be first in nation to make City College free,” ABC7 News, February 7, 2017.
- “Ireland announces 24-month “stay back option” for international postgraduates,” ICEF Monitor, February 8, 2017.
- “Who We Are,” Zephyr Education.
About the InformED Report
The InformED Report is edCircuit’s short news program on education. This edition first ran on February 14, 2017. In 2026, edCircuit re-presented it with a new anchor and this full written account. Both report the stories as they stood on that date and link the original reporting, so readers can see exactly where each claim came from.
Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.
Related reading
More on InformED Report
