TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Community College is working to make education more accessible to area students through a new scholarship program called Tulsa Advantage.
Holland Savage just started his freshman year at Tulsa Community College. He’s from Wagoner County and is one of about 100 students benefitting from the Tulsa Advantage Scholarship program this school year.
WATCH: TULSA ADVANTAGE: TCC expands access to education for area students
The music student has been playing trombone since 6th grade and was a member of The Pride of Broken Arrow through high school.
"Music, it's just a great way of expressing yourself and just having fun," Savage said.
Savage said he knew he wanted to go to TCC and study music, but paying for it was a concern.
"I didn't live in Tulsa County so I couldn't get the Tulsa Achieves so I was a little bit sad about that," Savage said.
Since Savage is from Wagoner County, he didn't qualify for TCC's premier scholarship, but the new Tulsa Advantage scholarship made it possible for him to get his first year of college free.
"It's really cool that I can focus on my studies and what I really enjoy in life, music, instead of having to worry about paying for college," Savage said.
Tulsa Community College is offering the Tulsa Advantage Scholarships to students who:
- Live in Wagoner County and graduated from Broken Arrow High School within the last academic year
- Live in Creek or Osage County and graduated from Charles Page High School within the last academic year
- Live in Creek County and graduated from Jenks High School within the last academic year
- Live in Creek County and graduated from Sapulpa High School within the last academic year
"Those are the ones when we looked at our largest feeder schools which are those high schools that come to TCC that were kind of split," said Dr. Eunice Tarver, TCC's vice president of student success.
Dr. Tarver said the college hopes to see participation numbers continue to grow, especially given how expensive college can be.
"You get to come to TCC for your first year and you do not have to worry about the cost of tuition and all of the mandatory fees that go with it," Tarver said.
A unique factor of Tulsa Advantage is that students can take a gap year. Students who graduated in the spring of 2025 and didn't take any college courses this year can still receive the scholarship for fall of 2026.
Dr. Tarver said it's an opportunity to provide more access to education.
"Every day I get to come to work and think about how we make the best student experience for those that attend Tulsa Community College," Tarver said.
Students can take up to 30 credit hours with Tulsa Advantage and as few as nine credit hours. If you’d like to apply, click here.
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