Forty of the 50 eligible Kansas counties have joined the Rural Opportunity Zones partnership.

The ROZs program offers student loan forgiveness 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.

Counties participating in the student loan forgiveness program in this area include Graham, Ness, Norton, Phillips, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Smith and Trego.