Thousands of Valley college students are now debt-free. 

The South Texas College Board of Trustees voted to pay the outstanding balances of nearly 3,500 students, using pandemic-relief money. 

The relief is for students with unpaid balances from last fall and spring semesters, according to officials. 

The college plans to spend more than $1.9 million to wipe out those accounts and give students a clean slate. 

School representatives will directly notify students with qualifying accounts.