Tougaloo College is using its CARES Act funding to help its student pay down their debt.
An HBCU located in Mississippi’s capital city, Tougaloo received $2.2 million in funding from the federal stimulus package and used those funds to help 195 students experiencing hardships due to the pandemic with their outstanding balances, allowing many to begin the fall 2021 semester without a balance.
“Our goal is to remove financial barriers especially during this time,” Carmen J. Walters, Ph.D., president of Tougaloo College, said. “As an institution, we have the responsibility to provide pathways for our students to reduce some of their expenses, and through this funding we are able to continue sharing initiatives to increase access to higher education. We strongly believe that our students can benefit from this opportunity, as we seek to improve and further socioeconomic equity within our communities.”
One of the students benefiting from this initiative was Aurelia Caine, a senior biology major from Cleveland, Mississippi.
“I am excited that Tougaloo continues to show us its commitment of keeping students first,” Caine said.”
CARES Act funding distributed to colleges and universities can be used for anything related to college attendance costs, such as tuition, food, housing, technology, healthcare, and childcare expenses.
