NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Hocking College hopes to encourage former students to return to the college with its new Fresh Start Debt Forgiveness campaign, which offers up to $3,000 in relief for past students who want to reenroll.
Students who have not been enrolled at Hocking College for the past 12 months or more and were in good academic standing when they left are eligible for the program, which launched in May.
Full-time students with the maximum $3,000 owed can have it forgiven by completing two semesters, while those with $1,500 or less in debt can complete the program in one, said Hocking College’s Director of Financial Aid Stephen Powell.
“The objective is to help these students come back to school to complete their degree, their certificate, however they’re looking at doing it, but they have to be full time to get the maximum reward,” he told the Independent.
As of 2023, around 1.4 million people attended college but did not graduate with a degree or certificate. Signal Cleveland calls this population SCNC, or “some college, no credential.” Nationally, Ohio’s SCNC population ranks as the sixth largest.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education’s statewide loan-forgiveness program, Ohio College Comeback Compact, targeted the state’s SCNC population. Hocking College participated in their program in 2022 when it launched, and is now continuing its support for former students looking to return to school.
Students with loans from other institutions in default, meaning they have not been paid off on time, are not eligible for the program. Additionally, former students who were in poor academic standing at Hocking College are not eligible, but Powell said the school plans to work with former students serious about continuing their education.
Currently, one student is enrolled through the program, but Powell and his team hope to welcome more soon.
“I’d like to see 100 of them [former students] come through here,” he said.
Former students interested in returning to school can contact Hocking College Financial Aid at 740-753-7050 or financialaid@hocking.edu.
