Debt Forgiveness Programs

Cleveland State offers several ways for students with a delinquent, unpaid balanace that's been certified to the Attorney General's Office to possibly return to college and complete their degree.  See if you qualify for participation in any of these initiatives.  

Ohio College Comeback Compact (OCCC)

This program is designed to help undergraduate students who left college without completing their degree.  This program is open to eligible students who previously attended any of the eight participating institutions, have been out of college at least a year (one fall and one spring term), maintained a 2.0 Cumulative GPA before they left, and owe $5,000 or less.  The participating institutions include:

• Cleveland State University
• Cuyahoga Community College
• Kent State University
• Lakeland Community College
• Lorain County Community College
• Stark State College
• The University of Akron
• Youngstown State University

Verify your eligibility at ohiocollegecomeback.org

Students are responsible for all new tuition and fees incurred and must successfully complete all enrolled courses before any adjustments are processed.

Second Chance Debt Forgiveness

This program is open to undergraduate students who previously attended Cleveland State and have stopped out for at least one year (one fall and one spring term), and owe the University or the Ohio Attorney General's Office $5,000 or less.  Eligible students cannot previously have received any debt cancellation through a forgiveness program.  Interested students can contact CSU's Adult Learner Services (adult.learners@csuohio.edu) for more information.  

Students are responsible for all new tuition and fees incurred and must successfully complete all enrolled courses before any adjustments are processed.

Cuyahoga County Debt Repayment Program 

Students who have incurred institutional debt from any public Ohio college or university may be eligible for up to a $2,000 grant to help address their past-due balance.  Eligibility requires that the student be a Cuyahoga County resident for at least 12 months, stopped out for at least one semester, and meet the federal Pell Grant income requirements. To determine if you qualify, fill out the eligibility form on the following link, https://cngc.org/ccdr/2024-2025.  To obtain more information on this program or additional resources visit College Now at collegenowgc.org/20338-2.

Below is a link to a comprehensive summary of these initiatives:

Debt Forgiveness Summary.pdf