Some Maryland colleges offering tuition help for furloughed students, families

Some colleges in Maryland are offering financial help to students affected by the ongoing partial government shutdown.

The College of Southern Maryland earlier this month launched a temporary policy allowing furloughed students to defer their tuition payment until the government is reopened and they or their families receive back pay.

{mosads}The school is also offering one-time emergency grants to students who do not anticipate receiving back pay once the shutdown is over. The college’s fundraising foundation is paying for the grants, according to a release.

“No student’s education should be interrupted because the government shut down,” College of Southern Maryland President Maureen Murphy said in the release. “The College of Southern Maryland stands ready to help those impacted continue to achieve their academic goals in any way we can.”

The college said that at least 100 students have taken advantage of the assistance — both students who are federal workers themselves, or who are dependents of furloughed employees.

NPR reported that at least two other community colleges in Maryland are offering tuition assistance or deferred deadlines to affected students.

About 800,000 federal employees are either furloughed or working without pay during the shutdown, which has now gone on for over a month. In Maryland alone, about 42,000 workers are going without pay, according to NPR.