Student Debt Relief Helps Kansas Boost Rural Population

When Megan Horinek graduated from Fort Hays State University in Kansas in 2010 with a marketing degree and $20,000 in student loan debt, she dreamed of returning to her hometown 140 miles away.

She moved back this year to Atwood, a hamlet of only 1,194 that calls itself the “Pride of the Prairie.” After working for Kraft Foods in Wichita, Horinek accepted a lower-paying job in nearby Cheyenne County partly because of a new state program that offers as much as $15,000 toward student loan repayment for people who relocate to areas hurt by population declines. “To know that I will be able to have my loans paid off within five years is even better than just finding a job,” says Horinek, 24, who works as a consultant for the Kansas Small Business Development Center. “If I do choose to get married or start a family, then I won’t have this hanging over my head.”