Gordon State College is able to “Clear” the Way for more students

Gordon State College is addressing the financial hardships that have been incurred by students over the past year. Gordon State College is clearing complete balances of outstanding student debt that has been incurred prior to the current academic term. This debt has been discharged as of July 2021 as part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund which was signed into federal law through the CARES Act on March 27, 2020, CRRSAA Act on December 27, 2020 and ARP Act on March 11, 2021.

As a result of this discharge of debt, students enrolled as of March 13, 2020 no longer owe a balance of any amount to Gordon State College for academic terms prior to spring 2021. There are 94 students who have been assisted, and the total overall financial impact is $75,590.63. “Being able to help our students overcome financial burdens in order to continue their educational journey is truly a blessing. Students are the root of everything we do here at Gordon, and we are very excited for our students who were eligible to receive these funds. We look forward to watching them graduate and fulfill their future endeavors.” said Candice Brown, GSC Bursar.

Students may still have charges on their account for their current and/or future academic terms for which they will still have a balance and are responsible for those charges. All financial holds on students’ accounts with Gordon State College have been removed and all students’ accounts are clear and in good standing. This does not apply to holds associated with current summer ’21 or fall ’21 charges, and students are still responsible for paying these charges.

Students who are interested in continuing to work toward their degree are eligible to re-enroll or reapply for admission, depending on the length of time they have been unenrolled and consistent with their academic standing and institutional policy. This debt discharge is funded by these various federal programs, and it is a one-time event. Gordon State College does not anticipate a similar program being made available in the near future. GSC student, Michael Fields said,” A quote by Cliff Richard that I always say to myself and colleagues is “Financial Support is one thing, but I always think what becomes really sacrificial is your time.” When people take the time to explore financial resources beyond what they can see, you’ll never know what the blessing behind that will result in. These resources have given me the opportunity to return to school and to continue my education.”

“Any time there is an opportunity to remove a financial barrier to access education, it is an investment on someone’s future. As our economy’s success depends on attracting the right talent, we are delighted to assist our future graduates with coming back to finish what they started” said Dr. Kirk A. Nooks, GSC President.

For further information, students can check to see if their debt has been discharged by accessing the Student Account Center by visiting www.gordonstate.edu and clicking the Pay Online link at the bottom of the page.