Star Tribune: Minnesota community colleges use federal COVID funds to pay off student debts

Colleges forgive debts of students who owe for tuition, fees or supplies.

By Ryan Faircloth, August 12, 2021

Several Minnesota community colleges are using federal stimulus dollars to forgive the debts of students who owe them money for tuition, fees, books or supplies. Just this week, Rochester Community and Technical College announced it used about $785,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay off 638 students' unpaid balances. Minnesota State College Southeast, which has campuses in Red Wing and Winona, said it used more than $400,000 to clear the debts of 339 students.

"We hope that this action makes a positive impact as we collectively work our way out of the pandemic," MSC Southeast President Marsha Danielson said Thursday.

The average debt cleared for MSC Southeast students was $1,200. Students whose unpaid balances had prevented them from enrolling this fall are now eligible to register for classes. 

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