Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and School Principals:

Loan Forgiveness and Student Debt Relief

I am sharing the following information to help spread the positive news about student loan relief that affects many individuals who may be on your staff or in your school communities.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

If you are employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or a not-for-profit organization, you might be eligible for a relief program, known as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, that will completely cancel your outstanding student loan debt if you qualify. Act now, because the application period for the PSLF Program ends October 31, 2022. Learn more on the U.S. Department of Education Complete the PSLF Form with the PSLF Help Tool web page at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/. Visit the Federal Student Aid PSLF web page at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more information.

Student Loan Debt Relief Program

Also, this week, the Biden administration officially began accepting applications for its historic student loan relief program. If you have student debt from a federally backed student loan and meet the income eligibility requirements, you can receive up to $10,000 to $20,000 in relief on your unpaid student loan. So if you are a current or former student who has unpaid student loans, or if you're a parent who received a loan to help pay for your child's education, apply now!

Note: Private loans (nonfederal) are not eligible for debt relief. To find out which federally backed parent and student loans are eligible for relief, visit the “Which Loans Are Eligible” section of the Federal Student Aid One-time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief web page at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info.

To find your loan(s) and loan servicer(s), log in to the Federal Student Aid website at https://studentaid.gov/ and select "My Aid" in the dropdown menu under your name at the top right of the screen.

Filling out the application is easy and takes only about five minutes. There is no need to log in or provide any documents. After you submit your application, the federal government will review it and respond. But please note: You must apply by December 31, 2023.

The Student Loan Debt Relief program is the first of its kind in our nation's history. It is part of President Biden's multipronged effort to help our country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under this program, you can receive up to $10,000 in relief on your federally backed student loan if your income in 2020 or 2021 (you don't have to be income-eligible for both years) meets the following requirements:

• Single tax filer with income under $125,000
• Married filing jointly with income under $250,000
• Did not file taxes in 2020 or 2021 because you made less than the required income to file federal taxes

If you received a Federal Pell Grant, which is typically awarded to undergraduate students from low- or moderate-income families, and you meet the other criteria, you can receive up to $20,000 total in debt relief.

Important note: For students who are classified as a dependent for federal student aid purposes, eligibility is based on one or both of your parents' income, not your income. If you think you might be classified as a dependent, you can still apply now and use your own 2020 or 2021 income information. After receiving your application, if the federal government identifies you as a dependent student, they will email you instructions for you and your parent(s). Until then, you do not need to do anything except submit your application. Visit the “After You Apply” section of the Federal Student Aid One-time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief web page at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info#after-you-apply for more information.

It does not matter whether you have been actively repaying your loans or are in school, in a grace period, or in default; if you meet the income eligibility criteria, you are still eligible for relief.

If you are a parent with eligible loans of your own, including parent PLUS loans, submit your own Student Loan Debt Relief Application. Your application will be processed separately from the one your child submits.

After you submit your Student Loan Debt Relief Application, you will receive an email confirmation. The federal government will review your application and determine whether you are eligible for relief. They will contact you with instructions if they need more information.

Once your eligibility is confirmed, you will be notified of how much debt relief will be applied to your loans. Your loan servicer(s) will then apply your debt relief and notify you.

Beware of scams. The federal Student Loan Debt Relief program sends emails to borrowers only from the following addresses: noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov, and ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com. If you receive an email from other, often similar, email addresses, be cautious as it may be a scam.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction