HCTC Offers Fall 2021 Students up to $1,500 in Relief Funds

Though the pandemic may be coming closer to an end, COVID relief dollars at Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC) are not. The college administration announced today that any students enrolling in the 2021 Fall semester may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 in stimulus funds.

HCTC President Dr. Jennifer Lindon explained that the college has around $2.8 million in Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) dollars, Part of the federal American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021, set aside to distribute to eligible students enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester to be used to alleviate any hardships students have had to endure in the last year.

Eligible students must be credential-seeking, have completed the 2021-2022 FAFSA, and be enrolled in a minimum of three credit hours through HCTC. 

“We know even if the pandemic were to end tomorrow, the cost to our students and their communities has been great and will have lasting effects,” Lindon said. “Our hope is that these funds will help our students in any way they could possibly need because we all know every little bit helps.”

These funds will be sent directly to eligible students—cash in hand without any stipulations—and will not be applied to any tuition, fees, or payments owed to HCTC unless otherwise indicated by the student. 

In conjunction with ongoing efforts by HCTC to improve students’ financial standing this academic year, such as the HCTC debt-forgiveness program Forge Your Way Forward or the HCTC Promise Scholarship that offers free tuition to first-time students, Lindon says she hopes these additional funds will remove intimidating financial barriers. 

 “I tell anyone who talks with us that it’s a fantastic time to come to college and be an HCTC student. With classes starting August 16, we hope to see the impact from our efforts with students across all our campuses,” Lindon added.

For more information about HCTC and our programs, contact 606-487-3293 or hazard-admissions@kctcs.edu. For more on Forge Your Way Forward go to hazardctc.com/forge, and for more on HCTC Promise go to hazardctc.com/promise. 

To find out more about Hazard Community and Technical College, go to hazard.kctcs.edu, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get the most up-to-date announcements.