Student Loan Reimbursement to Begin Next Month

By Michelle Rappaport

December 4 @ 9:00 am

Residents who graduated from a Connecticut college or university may be eligible for tuition loan reimbursement under a $6 million program aimed at providing financial relief to those burdened with student loan debt.

Beginning Jan. 1, the Office of Higher Education will begin accepting applications for the Student Loan Reimbursement Program, a new initiative providing up to $20,000 over four years in loan reimbursement.

According to the Connecticut Mirror, Dwayne Smith, interim president of Southern Connecticut State University, said borrowers collectively owed $1.6 trillion as of September 2023.

“As a proud first-generation college graduate, I deeply understand the resilience it takes to pursue higher education while managing significant financial challenges,” Smith said, according to the Mirror. “These scholars carry not only their own dreams, but also the hopes of their families and their communities.”

To be eligible for the program, applicants must be current Connecticut residents with outstanding loan balances, who have lived in the state for at least five years. Applicants must have paid toward a federal direct loan, a federal direct PLUS loan, federal Perkins loan, CHESLA loan or other state-sponsored student loan during 2024.

A person applying must have a Connecticut adjusted gross income in 2023 of not more than $125,000 for single applicants, or $175,000 for married applicants.

In order to qualify for the program, applicants must have completed at least 50 hours of volunteer work for a nonprofit organization this year and be able to provide notarized documentation of their volunteer efforts.

More information on how to apply for the program can be found on the Office of Higher Education’s website.