Maine community colleges will now forgive $2K in debt for returning students
File Photo / Renee Cordes
Southern Maine Community College, whose South Portland campus is shown here, is one of the seven schools that make up the Maine Community College System.
Maine’s community colleges have launched a program that eliminates up to $2,000 in debt owed them when a student returns to class.
A student’s past debt is set aside during the program, and half of the past debt, up to $1,000, is forgiven after the first semester. The second half is forgiven after the second semester.
Several of the system’s seven colleges have had an unofficial debt forgiveness program in place, allowing a student to re-enroll or access college services despite a small debt. This formalizes the process for all the colleges.
The new program takes effect immediately.
“It’s time to come back and finish what you started,” said Janet Sortor, chief academic officer and vice president of the Maine Community College System. “These students have already proven they can succeed academically. They just need a little help getting over the finish line.”
MCCS President David Daigler added, “We want our students to succeed, and this is a great way to welcome them back and help them complete their degree or certificate without being burdened by student debt."
Former MCCS students can take advantage of the program if they owe no more than $2,000, have attended a Maine community college within the past two years, enroll in at least six credits and maintain good academic standing.
Tuition at Maine’s community colleges is $96 per credit, and the average cost of tuition and fees for a year of full-time study is $3,700.
Last month, the University of Southern Maine began a similar debt forgiveness program for current and former students.
Emergency aid
Since the pandemic began, the Maine Community College System has distributed $24.5 million in federal pandemic relief funds directly to students for emergency aid, and the colleges have used almost $1 million in institutional pandemic relief funds to clear debts incurred by students during the pandemic. In addition, the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges distributed $1 million in scholarships last fall.
The MCCS trustees also were briefed Wednesday on the details of $8.5 million in recent federal appropriations for Maine’s community colleges.
“We will use these funds to add new tools for teaching logging, wind power and aquaculture, debut a new mobile lab to take our welding program on the road to where it’s needed most, and increase access to child care in the Katahdin region,” Daigler said. “This is an incredible investment that will pay off for decades.”
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