City College of San Francisco will soon offer free college tuition to all residents, according to a Feb. 7 news release from Mayor Edwin Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim.

The landmark deal will make San Francisco the first city in the United States to provide free higher education to all permanent residents, regardless of income. Students will qualify automatically upon enrollment, provided they’ve resided in the city for at least one year.

“This commitment will provide our residents the opportunity to attend college, continue to learn and create better lives for themselves,” Mayor Lee explains through the press statement. “This is an investment in our youth, in our city and in our future.”

The $5.4 million per year initiative will be funded through an increased real estate transfer tax passed by San Francisco voters last November. The tax rate increase applies only to real estate sold at over $5 million.

Of that $5.4 million, $2.1 million will go toward covering enrollment fees of over 45,000 $46 academic credits per year. The remainder will be used for books, transportation, supplies and health fees for low-income students who already have fee waivers through the Board of Governors.

City College hopes the initiative will help improve enrollment rates, which have fallen by over 30,000 students since 2010, according to an annual college headcount.