The Long Beach College Promise (The Promise) was formed to solidify a seamless pathway to college and career for students. The Promise follows a timeline of collaboration dating back to the Long Beach Seamless Education Initiative in 1994. Based on the belief that there should be no barriers to college for any student, leaders in Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), Long Beach City College (LBCC), and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) joined to form the initial Promise in 2008. This partnership expanded in 2014 to include the City of Long Beach and in 2018 welcomed its first industry partner, the Port of Long Beach. Over the years, partners within The Promise have collaborated to provide college tours for 4th and 5th graders, a middle school pledge, as well as a year of free tuition and priority registration for participating high school graduates.
In September 2018, the Promise elevated to “Promise 2.0,” an effort that will transform the lives of students in the greater Long Beach Community.