Students at Jay-Z funded music school say they still owe money, despite 'debt-free' scholarships

A 2021 offer letter obtained by News 12 describes the Hope Scholarship as "a full tuition Roc Nation Hope Scholarship, valued at over $150,000," adding that "This scholarship, combined with financial grants, will allow you to graduate without debt. As a Hope Scholar, you don’t have to worry about tuition charges."

Rob Flaks

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Apr 11, 2025, 11:20 PM

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Updated yesterday

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Hope Scholarship recipients at the Jay-Z's Roc Nation School of Music at LIU Brooklyn say when they received their offer letters, the school touted the award as allowing students to "graduate debt-free" when paired with other financial aid.

A 2021 offer letter obtained by News 12 describes the Hope Scholarship as "a full tuition Roc Nation Hope Scholarship, valued at over $150,000," adding that "This scholarship, combined with financial grants, will allow you to graduate without debt. As a Hope Scholar, you don’t have to worry about tuition charges."

Senior Jorden Drone tells News 12 despite having six total financial aid awards, he still was left owing the school $10,000 a year, and felt he had no choice but to take on private loans to stay enrolled.

"I had the Hope Scholarship, I had multiple grants, and yet I saw the bottom line, I'm starting to see the balance come in and I realize I am in debt," he said.

Drone tells News 12 that he feels the fight to clarify his finances took away time from his music and being an artist, something he came to the school to be.

"I'm fine with working while in school, but we were told we could focus on our art, that we had the space to do that, and I feel all this stunted my growth as an artist," he said adding that many students left the school completely after being unwilling to take on additional loans.

"Thats my alumni network, that's my peers I wanted to move in the future with, and they're not here," he said.

While some students have attempted to negotiate down their debts with the university, one student has filed a formal complaint with the Department of Education regarding the language used in the initial emails, which remains pending.

LIU's website refers to the Hope Scholarship as "tuition-free."

News 12 reached out to LIU, and were directed to Roc Nation, which did not respond to a request to be interviewed.