Middlesex Community College: MCC Eliminates Over $4.3 Million In Student Debt For Fresh Start

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

7/26/2021

Understanding that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused financial strain on many current and prospective students, Middlesex Community College is making education more affordable and accessible. Middlesex – with a population of 6,000 students from the Bedford and Lowell campuses – announced it will use over $4.3 million of the Institutional portion of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) – due to COVID-19 – to erase college-held debt for students.

The debt relief program is exclusively for any students who were enrolled during the start of the pandemic, from March 13, 2020 through the end of the Spring 2021 semester. Student Account Balances and Holds will be fully forgiven and eliminated for a fresh start. Middlesex is taking this unprecedented approach to assist over 2,800 students with an average of $1,539 of institutional debt forgiveness per student. The college believes it has a responsibility as an open access institution to do as much as possible to keep students on their paths to success.

“Our goal is to remove the financial barrier of institutional student debt that keeps many students from completing their education and achieving their life goals,” said Phil Sisson, MCC’s President. “By choosing to invest in our students by removing this barrier, we are providing a fresh start for students to succeed, investing in the future of our community and strengthening our workforce.”

This is MCC’s most recent effort to help students struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in March 2020, the college loaned out chromebooks and hotspots to students who needed them. Students facing financial hardships including housing and food insecurity could also apply for COVID-19 emergency funds and receive access to the Middlesex food pantries.

“Middlesex maintains a strong commitment to supporting the community, especially as it recovers from the pandemic,” President Sisson said. “Graduating students who carry COVID-19 debt is not a recipe for individual or societal success. We need to help our students – whether through wraparound services or outright forgiveness of debt owed.”

To further prevent students from having to put their education on hold for financial reasons, MCC has frozen tuition and fees for the Fall 2021 semester. In May of 2021, MCC disbursed $1.5 million of Emergency Student HEERF funds, and will continue providing additional HEERF funding each semester through 2022. All returning and newly enrolled students are eligible to apply for financial aid and assistance in order to begin, return to campus and complete their higher education goals, including toward the cost of attendance and student accounts.

Students can also take advantage of MCC’s personalized financial counseling to set up a payment plan and choose the financial option that works best for them, including applying for grants, scholarships, work studies and loans. In addition to helping students of all ages start and continue their education, these financial aid options also provide a great opportunity for recent high school graduates to save money on tuition from the beginning of their college journey.

For more information on Financial Aid at MCC, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/financialaid/ or contact financialaid@middlesex.mass.edu. Students can also use MCC’s mobile app to learn more about funding opportunities for the upcoming Fall 2021 semester.

Featuring a variety of on campus, online and a hybrid mix of both course formats, and award-winning student support services and resources, MCC is registering now for the Fall 2021 semester. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu or call 1-800-818-3434 to register for classes.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.