Another SC college will forgive debt for all students enrolled since COVID-19 began

A second college in South Carolina will forgive student debt accrued since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Denmark Technical College announced Friday that all students who have been enrolled “at any point since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic” will have their outstanding balances accrued during the pandemic forgiven by the school, according to a news release.

“We are elated to have the opportunity to use our resources to wipe the financial slate clean for our students, many of whom have faced additional hardships while attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Denmark Tech President Willie Todd said in a statement.

All balances accrued in spring, summer and fall of 2020 and the spring and summer of 2021 will be forgiven, the release said. Students do not have to enroll in future semesters to take advantage of the program, the release said.

The debt forgiveness will cost around $1 million and will be funded by federal COVID-19 money that was intended to be used for student relief, Denmark Tech spokeswoman Amy Roper said in an email.

This is the second move in recent months by Denmark Tech, a historically Black technical college (HBCU) located in Bamberg County, has taken to ease the financial burden for its students, many of whom are impoverished. In June, Denmark Tech promised free tuition for the first 500 students who apply and are enrolled in the fall 2021 semester, The State reported previously.

Denmark Tech isn’t the first SC college to clear student debt, something that doesn’t apply to federal or private loans. In mid-July, South Carolina State University — the only other public historically Black college or university in S.C. — announced it would use nearly $10 million of federal COVID-19 relief money to pay off student debt, The State reported previously.