102 Central Alabama Community College students see debts forgiven

ALEX CITY, Ala. (WSFA) - Central Alabama Community College says it will use federal funds for student debt forgiveness to pave the way for students to continue their education.

CACC says it will use special institutional funding received from the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) from The American Rescue Plan (ARP) to forgive the balances of 102 students totaling $83,687.27.

“We are glad to be able to help our students with debt relief through this grant,” Jeff Lynn, president of CACC, explained.

CACC will also distribute approximately $1.7 million in additional HEERF stimulus payments to students in the coming academic year. The money will be paid directly to students and can be used for tuition, food, housing, course material, technology, healthcare, childcare, and other expenses.

“This has been an extremely difficult year for everyone,” Lynn said. “This grant will allow these students to continue their educational paths without putting themselves in a financial bind.”

The majority of CACC students will be qualified for the award under federal guidelines.

Students do not need to contact the college to request the funds. CACC says it will use existing enrollment information to allocate funds, which will be automatically distributed to all qualified students, including high school students taking classes with CACC through the Dual Enrollment Program.