Morgan State University Joins Loan Repayment Assistance Program Network to Support Local Journalism

The Partnership Connects Morgan State Graduates to Loan Repayment Support for Full-Time Local Newsroom Work

New York, NY – Morgan State University has joined the Columbia Journalism School Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), marking a significant expansion of a national effort to reduce student debt for journalists and strengthen local news across the country.

The partnership makes Morgan State’s School of Global Journalism and Communication the fourth leading journalism school to participate in the program, which provides loan repayment assistance to recent graduates working full-time in local newsrooms. The move comes amid broader efforts to support and sustain local news reporting nationwide.

“We’re excited to welcome Morgan State as the newest member of our LRAP network,” said Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism at Columbia Journalism School. “We share the goals of supporting local news, empowering the next generation of journalists and most importantly, ensuring that the journalism education remains within the grasp of students from all backgrounds. Together we are going to make great strides.” 

The School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) committed to advancing public discourse and expanding representation in media, prepares students with the skills, global perspective and ethical foundation needed to communicate effectively across communities. Its participation in LRAP adds new financial assistance opportunities for graduates entering the profession. 

“At Morgan, we believe access and opportunity should define the future of journalism,” said Jackie Jones, dean and professor of journalism in the School of Global Journalism and Communication. “By joining the LRAP network, we are helping ensure that our graduates can pursue impactful careers in local newsrooms without the burden of overwhelming student debt. This partnership strengthens our commitment to preparing ethical, community-centered journalists who give voice to underrepresented communities and help sustain the vital role of local news in our democracy.” 

LRAP, launched in 2023 as part of the CJS2030 Access Initiative, has provided more than 100 awards and over $1 million in assistance to journalists nationwide. The program is designed to strengthen the pipeline of talent entering local news organizations and to support reporting that keeps communities informed.

With Morgan State’s addition, the LRAP network now includes Columbia Journalism School, Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, forming a growing national collaboration to support early-career journalists in local newsrooms.

About the Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Graduates working full-time in local newsrooms and who are within five years of their graduation date are eligible to apply. Those qualified may receive up to $10,000 per year for three years. To learn more about eligibility, visit the program page.

See what happens when a graduate is supported by LRAP.

About Columbia Journalism School

For more than a century, Columbia Journalism School has been preparing journalists in programs that stress academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the school opened its doors in 1912 and offers a Master of Science, Master of Arts, a joint Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Journalism and Doctor of Philosophy in Communications. It houses the Columbia Journalism Review, the Brown Institute for Media Innovation and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. The school also administers many of the leading journalism awards, including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, the Maria Moors Cabot Prizes, the John Chancellor Award, the John B. Oakes Award, the J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project, Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award and the Meyer “Mike” Berger Award.

About the Morgan School of Global Journalism and Communication

The School of Global Journalism and Communication, created in July 2013, is led by Dean Jackie Jones, who succeeded founding Dean Emeritus DeWayne Wickham. The school is dedicated to giving voice to people who struggle to contribute to the public discourse that shapes the nation and the world through innovative teaching, cutting-edge research and exemplary service to Maryland, the nation and the world. The school seeks to instill in students the skills, knowledge and training necessary to become effective communicators and to add to the variety of thought in news media.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Media Contacts:

Larry Jones or Cheryl Stewart, for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022

or

Spencer Jones, for Columbia Journalism School
(212) 854-4422