NewsNation

Anonymous donor pays off college students’ tuition balance

MARSHALL, Texas (NewsNation) — Students graduating from Wiley College, a historically Black institution in Texas, will have their tuition balance paid by an anonymous donor.

The college said in a news release that the donor gave $300,000 to clear what students owed to the college.


Wiley College President and CEO Herman J. Felton Jr. broke the news to students at their commencement ceremony May 7.

“You are debt-free. You do not owe the college a penny,’ he said. “If you have a balance, you HAD a balance. You no longer have a balance.”

Over 100 students gathered on Wiley College’s Pemberton Sports Complex field for graduation.

In a news release, Wiley College said it has reduced tuition in the past years to $17,500, including room and board. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many students’ abilities to pay, the release noted.

“The announcement of cleared balances for graduates was a welcome surprise as students and parents were demonstrative in the audience when they heard the news,” the college said.