LeBron's I Promise students will receive free tuition to Kent State

Nearly 200 students from LeBron James' I Promise Network could receive free tuition for four years thanks to a partnership between Kent State University and the LeBron James Family Foundation.

Kent State also announced Wednesday that the students' first year of room and board will be free.

The program covers the oldest class in the I Promise Network, 193 junior students who will be college freshmen in the 2021-22 academic year, according to Ryan Haidet of WKYC.com. To be eligible for free tuition, the students must be accepted to Kent State, complete required financial aid forms, and perform a certain number of community service hours each semester. Kent State will cover the amount of tuition remaining after students access "traditional financial aid sources."

James launched the I Promise initiative in 2011 to help tackle high school dropout rates in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. It expanded in 2018 to include the I Promise School, which currently supports third- and fourth-grade students.