Troy University-Dothan is offering to cover the cost of your first class. All you have to do is sign up.

Because of the struggling economy there seem to be more people heading back to the classroom.

Heading back to college during tough economic times seems like a growing trend.

Now Troy University-Dothan is giving many residents the chance to earn college credit for free.

Troy University-Dothan Dean of Students Bob Willis said, “There are a lot of adults who are hesitant about returning back to school because of the cost of tuition in higher education so we developed this scholarship to provide for tuition for one three hour course for undergraduate or graduate level.”

Sandra Henry is a living testament of how effective the program can be.

Director of Enrollment at Troy-Dothan and previous OWLS learner Sandra Henry said, “I saw an advertisement for the OWLS program and I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to come back to school and see if I could juggle school, and family, and not be out of a lot of money because it did pay for the one class.”

She decided she'd enroll full-time and now.

Henry said, “Now I have my Bachelors, and went on to get my Masters, and a job at the university. So it worked out really well for me.”

The program is not competitive; you just have to be admitted unconditionally and not have been in the classroom for at least three years.

OWLS learners say they need the education to set them apart in the current job market.

OWLS learner Rosie Davis said, “You need as much education as possible to accomplish the goal and find the position you would like to have.”

The deadline to apply for the OWLS scholarship is December 7th.

To pickup an application for the owls program you can stop by the Troy-Dothan campus student services office or go to www.troy.edu and click on the Dothan link.