Wayne State University’s Warrior Way Back program recently received accolades in a report issued by uAspire, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all young people have the financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to and through college.

In the report titled “Beyond the College Bill: The Hidden Hurdles of Indirect Expenses,” Wayne State is one of 11 schools nationwide to be profiled as an institution that is reducing indirect expenses through the Warrior Way Back program. The entry for the Warrior Way Back program can be found on page 49 of the report.

Warrior Way Back is a debt-forgiveness program that allows students who left Wayne State before completing their degree requirements — typically when they were close to graduation — to re-enroll and complete their degree by forgiving up to $1,500 of the past-due balance owed to the university.

Dawn Medley, Wayne State’s associate vice president of enrollment management, was the chief architect of the Warrior Way Back program. “We’re constantly assessing ways we can ease financial burdens on our students,” Medley said. “The Warrior Way Back program works because we’re reaching out proactively to students who left college just short of their degree requirements – many times for financial reasons – and inviting them to come back to finish while forgiving any debt up to $1,500 that they may still owe. It’s been successful so far and we’re looking forward to helping more students complete their Wayne State education.”