Jackson State and Student Freedom Initiative

Student Freedom Initiative 正在努力帮助创造一个世界，使少数民族服务机构(MSI)的大学毕业生摆脱日益沉重的学生贷款债务负担所造成的限制. 澳门皇冠体育(JSU)拥有144年的南方优秀传统，是学生自由倡议项目的理想场所. At JSU as well as other participating HBCUs and MSIs, students have access to tools to help them succeed academically and professionally. 学生自由倡议在全国各地的校园创建的项目和资源可以提供资源，帮助学生掌握知识，在毕业后创造更好的生活.  

The programs offered by Student Freedom Initiative have been developed to be student-centric, 以证据为基础的, holistic and collaborative. Using available data on student success, 学生自由倡议为学生在学术和专业上提供必要的支持, so they can reach their career and personal goals.    

The Student Freedom Initiative offers the following services to all eligible students, subject to availability: 

• Tutoring, mentoring and other support services  
• Internships matched to student interests 
• 选择专业的三年级和四年级学生也有资格申请一项收入条件的资助，以替代家长PLUS贷款和其他称为学生自由协议的私人教育贷款. 

另外, JSU is participating in the Targeted Capacity-Building component, a cyber security upgrade provided by AVC Technologies and 思科, which will benefit the university community.  

学生自由协议是家长PLUS和其他私人教育贷款的替代选择. 澳门皇冠体育不支持“学生自由倡议”的“父母附加收入”和其他私人教育贷款产品. Jackson State University is not affiliated with Student Freedom Initiative. 学生和家庭可以将其视为整体经济援助计划的一部分，可以帮助他们在大三和大四期间支付未支付的援助费用. 学生自由协议适用于JSU和其他参与的学院和大学，适用于特定STEM专业的三年级和四年级学生, as determined by credit hour. 

JSU行政部门已确定以下STEM专业的学生有资格申请学生自由协议: 

• 生物学 
• 化学 
• 土木工程 
• 计算机工程 
• 计算机科学 
• 地球系统科学 
• Electrical Engineering 
• 数学 
• 气象学 
• 物理 
• 统计数据 

Eligibility Requirements: 

请注意: JSU的学生, who meet the above named requirements, 还必须符合以下资格标准(由学生的学校确定和确认)，以获得学生自由协议下的资助:  

• 完成了一个 Free Application for Federal Student 援助 (FAFSA) 或者学生所在学校接受并批准的可接受的替代性国家资助申请; 
• A valid Social Security Number; 
• 非持非移民签证获准进入美国的国际学生或外国交换学生; 
• Majority age or older; 
• Junior or senior for the school year being funded; 
• 在即将到来的学期中全日制注册(除非我们授予例外，因为学生需要在她/她的最后一年学习中完成他/她的学士学位); 
• Working towards a degree in an approved STEM major; and 
• Meeting satisfactory academic progress as defined by student’s school. 

Only students can apply for and sign a Student Freedom Agreement. It is not for parents or guardians, though they can and should, of course, advise students. 

符合上述所有标准的学生可以通过学生自由倡议申请经济援助. 获得资助并签署学生自由协议的学生同意在毕业后每月付款.  

支付: 

• 每月的支付完全基于收入，将在学生毕业后的1月1日开始，并且工作收入超过联邦贫困水平的225%. 关于联邦贫困水平的更多细节可以在学生自由倡议上找到 网站.  

• The percentage of student’s future income used to calculate payments is based on how much funding student receives; it goes up with more funding but would not be more than 5%. 

• Payments are capped so as not to penalize high earners’ 

• Payments are set for a maximum of 20 years, unless terminated earlier or the payment period is adjusted.  
• There are no fees or penalties for late payments. 
• Payment deferrals are allowed for 12 monthly payments, without cause. After paying the deferrals, recipients may take 12 more.  

学生和家庭应注意，通过支付由学生自由倡议提供的资金, they are paying for the future educational uplift for other students. The Student Freedom Agreement is intended to be a self-sustaining program. 基金的受助人向基金支付资金，帮助那些跟随他们进入大学的学生，这是该计划的一部分. 

• Student Freedom Agreement Funding Limit 

• Eligible students can receive up to $20,000 per year and $40,000 total. 

Funding under the Student Freedom Agreement is available to all qualifying applicants. 有兴趣的申请人应访问学生自由倡议网站，以了解更多有关该计划的细节 Student Freedom Agreement and the application process.  

在非裔美国人社区，学生债务的后果正在加剧，预计在未来几十年将变得更糟. A recent Black graduate might owe about $7,000, but in only four years after earning a degree, they will have approximately $25,000 more student loan debt than white graduates. 由于缺乏代际财富和毕业后的低工资，财富不平衡螺旋式上升，给黑人学生带来了不必要的负担. 

How can these students be liberated to fulfill their dreams — the American dream? That is the problem philanthropist and innovator 罗伯特F. 史密斯 着手解决. 史密斯 is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. 一个工程师, 在解决了3400多万美元的学生贷款债务后，史密斯开始着手解决更广泛的黑人债务问题. 史密斯 liberated the Morehouse Colleges Class of 2019 of their obligations. 史密斯召集了一组来自主要hbcu和金融业的专家来分析这个问题. The result was the launch of Student Freedom Initiative 2020年秋天. 史密斯 now serves as Chairman of the organization.  

发射 Student Freedom Initiative, the nonprofit granting institution 基金二基金 provided a gift of $50 million. 史密斯，他是 基金二基金创始董事 and President, personally matched that with $50 million. 

学生自由倡议在服务和慈善事业方面的合作伙伴已经发展到包括:史蒂夫和马乔里哈维基金会, 思科, 简街, the Walmart Foundation’s The Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity and the United Negro College Fund. The Business Roundtable, where 史密斯 is an at-large board member, has a Racial Equity & 司法教育小组委员会也与学生自由倡议组织建立了伙伴关系.