LCCC cancels debt of more than 1,000 students

LCCC cancels debt of more than 1,000 students

By Chloe Nouvelle

June 29, 2021

NORTH WHITEHALL TWP, Pa. – Lehigh Carbon Community College has canceled some of its students’ debt with the help of more than $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

LCCC says it has “erased the financial debt” of more than 1,000 students, even those whose accounts went into collection. 

“The pandemic hit everyone worldwide, regardless if you lost your job or not, you know, it was definitely a strain on students who were in the middle of getting their education,” says Cindy Haney, the college’s vice president for Enrollment Management

This aid was targeted to students who owed money from the spring of 2020 to the spring of 2021.

“We wanted to make sure that because of a prior balance with the institution, that was not a barrier for them to return to LCCC and complete their education,” Haney says. 

The college says the average debt forgiven ranged between $940 and $1,100. Haney says the school is still in a position to help new students with aid too.

“There’s a lot of funding out there available to students. We don’t want them to say financial reasons are stopping them from returning to college,” she says. 

Haney says students can find more information about tuition assistance on LCCC’s website.

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