COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY

Johnson C. Smith University is forgiving $300,000 in debt for students enrolled between March 2020 and June 2021. The school provided more than $6.4 million in financial aid since transitioning to remote learning at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson C. Smith University is attacking student debt.

The school announced today it will pay off $300,000 in outstanding balances owed for students enrolled between March 2020 and June 2021. Eligible students will be notified this week by the university’s office of business and finance.  

JCSU reported it provided over $6.4 million in financial assistance to students since it transitioned to remote learning in March 2020. CARES Act funding provided additional financial aid for the fall 2020 semester: $2,500 directly to returning students and $2,000 to new students. Enrolled students also received student emergency funds in May 2020 and February 2021.

The university said students who were enrolled for the 2021 spring semester will receive news about an additional distribution of student emergency funds soon. 

“Despite assistance with tuition and other expenses provided by the CARES Act, monies from the President’s Gap Scholarship Fund and other financial aid, some students are burdened with debt because of student loans and balances owed to the University,” the school said in a statement to students. “After careful consideration of how to provide even more assistance for students to continue their education in the face of financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the University has decided to use a portion of its CARES Act funding to retire the balances of students who currently have balances on their accounts.”

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