Oklahoma City Community College forgives $4 million in student debt
Oklahoma City Community College wiped away nearly $4 million from thousands of student accounts in the past week, the school announced.
The college of 17,000 students said it cleared all outstanding balances accrued since spring 2020. Federal dollars from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund covered the cost.
President Mautra Staley Jones said the plan, called the Fresh Start Initiative, eliminated debt for 4,500 students who had an unpaid balance as of Friday.
"The pandemic affected our students and their families in various ways, and we recognize that many are still facing hardships in the aftermath," Jones said in a statement. "OCCC is an institution of new beginnings, and this initiative truly gives our students a fresh start. We hope this clears the way for them to continue their educational journey in the fall."
OCCC charges $135.29 per credit hour in tuition and fees for Oklahoma residents and $326.99 for out-of-state students.
Langston University similarly forgave $4.65 million in student debt in August. It was one of several historically Black colleges and universities last year to clear outstanding account balances by using federal coronavirus relief funds.
Langston President Kent J. Smith said 1,300 students had their unpaid bills reduced to zero.
"It’s significant," Smith said at the time. "We’ve affected a lot of lives today."
Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City Community College forgives $4 million in student debt
