BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont is paying college graduates to stay in the Green Mountain State, offering $5,000 in student loan relief to those who commit to living and working in Vermont for two years after graduation.

The Green Mountain Job Retention Program released $845,000 in stipends this fall to 169 students who graduated from Vermont higher education schools in 2023. Nearly half of the recipients graduated from the University of Vermont.

Angela Ploysangngam, a UVM graduate who now works in a research lab at the Larner College of Medicine, received the stipend. She said the program influenced her decision to stay in Vermont for a second year.

“When I was informed that I was receiving it, I was already planning on working in Vermont for at least the first year after graduating,”

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