(TOPEKA)–Chautauqua, Gove and Pawnee counties have joined the Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZs) student loan reimbursement partnership in the past month, bringing to 43 the number of counties participating.

The Kansas Commerce Department has received 158 applications from across the country.

The ROZs program offers student loan reimbursement of up to $3,000 per year for five years for individuals that graduate from an accredited post-secondary college or technical school. In addition, people moving from out-of-state could be eligible for 100 percent state income tax reimbursement, if they have lived outside of Kansas for at least the past five years and have had Kansas source income of less than $10,000 per year over the past five years.

Quinter City Administrator Ericka Gillespie says “Our commitment to ROZs is a clear message that not only reflects how the Kansas Legislature feels about rural Kansas, but how counties like Gove can take the opportunity to invest in themselves by adding student loan repayment into their incentive packages to bring people into their regions.”

The counties participating in student loan program, so far, are Barber, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Cloud, Decatur, Edwards, Gove, Graham, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mitchell, Morton, Ness, Norton, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Thomas, Trego, Wallace, Wichita and Woodson.

The program designates 50 counties as ROZs counties. In addition to those already listed above, the others are Comanche, Elk, Osborne, Republic, Sheridan, Washington and Wilson.