Worcester State University alumni may be eligible for expanded student loan forgiveness from the Federal government. On Oct. 6, the U.S. Department of Education (US DOE) announced changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) [1] program, which are designed to improve the program and result in more borrowers that are eligible for loan forgiveness. Public Student Loan Forgiveness is designed to forgive the remaining balance of your federal Direct Student Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments while working for a qualifying employer.
To qualify for PSLF [1], you must normally:
- Be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization
- Work full-time for that agency or organization
- Have Direct Student Loans
- Repay your loans under an income-driven repayment plan
- Make 120 qualifying payments
Some changes in the PSLF program overhaul [2] include:
- Counting all prior student loan payments toward PSLF, regardless of loan repayment plan.
- Counting additional types of student loan payments toward PSLF, possibly including late payments and partial payments.
- Further qualifying Federal employees and members of the military for the PSLF program.
- Reviewing previously denied PSLF applications.
- Family Federal Education Loan (FFEL) and Perkins are now eligible to count towards PSLF.
- And more. . .
If you have student loans and have worked for a non-profit organization or government, you may benefit from taking steps in the near future to increase your eligibility for PSLF. Some of these changes are only in place until Oct. 31, 2022.
Loan forgiveness is related only to federal student loans and not private loans. Information about borrower and loan types can be found on the US DOE’s PSLF Overhaul Fact Sheet [2]. To start applying for Public Student Loan Forgiveness, please use the PSLF Help Tool [3]. Additional information about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program can be found at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service [1]. The WSU Enrollment Division and Financial Aid Office are available to help with any questions that you may have about PSLF.