TCC using COVID relief funding to pay off student debts, offer 'clean slate'

TCC officials announced Tuesday that they have begun alerting students with outstanding balances who were enrolled on or after March 2020 that any debt owed TCC as of July 12 has been erased.

The initiative, which involves balances accrued during the spring 2020 through spring 2021 semesters, will use roughly $4 million from TCC’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Institutional Funds.

“The students who are eligible — and it includes more than 5,000 individuals — do not have to do anything to participate,” said Eileen Kenney, TCC associate vice president of enrollment and retention.

“We are simply telling them their past-due balances have been paid off, which gives them a clean slate. By removing what had become a financial barrier, these students can remain on the path to a degree or return to TCC to complete their degree.”

Affected individuals, she said, do not have to be currently enrolled to qualify.

TCC officials said a recent survey of students showed that the pandemic has made paying for college even more of a challenge.

Nearly 40% reported that their current financial situation was worse than before the pandemic. According to the survey, 41% are struggling to pay for college.

“We understand our students are struggling, and we are here to help them,” Kenney said. “Using the federal dollars in this way is a holistic approach for all our students, whether they are currently attending or attended at some point since spring 2020.”

TCC has also received a federal Student Emergency Funds allocation. That funding will be used for emergency grants to support students who are enrolled now.

For more information, including whether a student qualifies for debt forgiveness, email studentaccounts@tulsacc.edu and provide the student’s name and TCC ID number.

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