Middlesex College is implementing a new Student Debt Amnesty program to forgive approximately $1.8 million of qualified student balances incurred during the pandemic, impacting nearly 2,300 students.
Under the program, all current outstanding balances incurred from March 2020 through summer 2021 will be forgiven, providing students the flexibility to enroll for a future term, according to information provided by the college.
A similar initiative is in place to forgive a limited amount of campus fines (library, parking tickets).
Middlesex College’s Student Debt Amnesty program was made possible by the American Rescue Plan, the sweeping $1.9 trillion economic recovery legislation passed by Congress earlier this year to address the devastating economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on states, local governments, individuals and businesses, according to the statement.
All eligible Middlesex College students will have their prior outstanding balance forgiven regardless of their decision to continue their education at the college, their GPA or the number of credits they have earned.
“The college understands the financial hardship that many of our students have faced during the pandemic,” Middlesex College President Mark McCormick said in the statement. “We hope that students will take this opportunity to register for fall classes and continue to move forward with their studies toward graduation.”
With this announcement, Middlesex College joins Bergen Community College, Hudson County Community College, Raritan Valley Community College and Salem Community College in using federal COVID-19 relief funds to forgive student debt.
Additionally, Middlesex College students can take advantage of the New Jersey Community College Opportunity Grant Program, which offers free community college for students whose adjusted gross household income is $65,000 or less, according to the statement.
Students who have questions about the Student Debt Amnesty Program are urged to contact Student Accounts at StudentAccounts@middlesexcc.edu, as well as the Academic Advising department for assistance with the registration process.
