BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana State University announced it will use federal coronavirus aid to forgive more than $7 million in student debt for about 4,000 students.
“In an effort to continue providing access to an LSU education, we have made the decision to clear all unpaid prior tuition and fee balances for LSU students who enrolled at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic period,” LSU Vice President for Enrollment Management Jose Aviles said in a statement Monday. “We are committed to ensuring that students have every opportunity to continue their educational pursuits.”
The Advocate reports the debt forgiveness will apply from the spring of 2020 to the present for students with balances owed directly to LSU. Those debts could include an outstanding balance on tuition, fees, housing, meal plans or parking, according to university spokesperson Ernie Ballard.
The average amount of debt wiped away per student is $1,816, Ballard said.
A variety of schools around the country have announced student debt forgiveness programs financed with federal coronavirus dollars, including Baton Rouge Community College, Grambling State University and Southern University in Shreveport.
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