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Important Updates

  • If you have been selected for verification, the deadline is June 15, 2023.  Please review your email for instructions.
  • For California Middle Class Scholarship updates, please visit MCS.
  • For Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief information, please visit Apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief.

Federal Loan Announcements

Federal Loan Announcements

Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan

On November 22, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the extension of the student loan payment pause.

From the Federal Student Aid website:

The student loan payment pause is extended until the U.S. Department of Education is permitted to implement the debt relief program or the litigation is resolved. Payments will restart 60 days later. If the debt relief program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023 — payments will resume 60 days after that. We will notify borrowers before payments restart.

This pause includes the following relief measures for eligible loans*: 

  • Suspended loan payments 
  • 0% interest rate 
  • Paused collections on defaulted loans 

*All loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) including Direct Loans, as well as Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans held by ED. Please note that some FFEL Program loans are owned by commercial lenders, and some Perkins Loans are held by the institution you attended, and these loans were ineligible. The Department of Education recently announced the new Loan Forgiveness Program to provide targeted debt relief to address the financial harms of the pandemic, fulfilling the President’s campaign commitment. 

The Department of Education will provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Pell Grant recipients with loans held by the Department of Education, and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients. The Department of Education will work quickly and efficiently to set up a simple application process for borrowers to claim relief. The Federal Student Loan Debt Relief application is currently paused due to litigation.

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Student Loan Debt Relief Application

This site will be updated as more information becomes available for all loan borrowers, including instructions you will need to follow to apply for federal loan forgiveness with the Department of Education. The Federal Student Loan Debt Relief application is currently paused due to litigation.

<<< Click here to access current information >>>

Please note: If you receive a communication from StudentAid indicating your information is already on file in order to receive debt relief consideration, no further action is needed.

Nearly 8 million borrowers may be eligible to receive relief automatically because their relevant income data is already available to the Department. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, this additional debt relief will not be treated as taxable income for federal income tax purposes. President Biden capped the loan cancellation at $10,000 for single borrowers making less than $125,000, or households earning less than $250,000. The relief includes current students and borrowers who have federally-held undergraduate, graduate, and Parent PLUS loans where the first disbursement was on or before June 30, 2022. 

For detailed information, we urge you to visit The Biden-Harris Administration's Student Debt Relief Plan Explained.

If you are a Pell Grant recipient, for more information please also visit Federal Student Aid.

Additional guidelines and a precise procedure will be provided by the Department of Education on how the loan forgiveness plan will be implemented. Check back often for updates, and if you'd like to be the first to know, sign up for email updates from the U.S. Department of Education.


Prepare for Student Loan Payments to Restart 

Source: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/

Start preparing now for repayment to begin with the steps below: 
 
  • Log in to your loan servicer’s website or mobile app to make sure your contact information is current.
    • Don’t know who your loan servicer is? To find out, visit your account dashboard by logging in to StudentAid.gov/login.
      • Find the “My Aid” section and select “View loan servicer details.”
      • You can also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). 
  • Use Loan Simulator to make sure you’re on the best repayment plan.
    • The best plan for you may be different now if your financial situation has changed during the COVID-19 emergency. 
    • Visit the Loan Simulator webpage, select your current situation and log in to begin.
  • Contact your loan servicer to restart auto-debit.
    • Sign up for auto-debit for the first time, or find out the easiest way to make a payment.
      • Direct Loan borrowers who use auto-debit get a 0.25% interest rate reduction on their loans. 
  • Check your email and postal mail for student loan payment updates.
    • Watch for updates from your loan servicer and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.
      • The updates could include your monthly payment amount and due date. 
  • Learn how to avoid student aid scams.
    • Visit StudentAid.gov/scams.
    • Your servicer will also provide free help with your questions or concerns about loan payments. 

 

Visit StudentAid.gov/coronavirus for more information about your federal student loan payments restarting. 

If you have questions, you can contact the office of Federal Student Aid at StudentAid.gov/contact or by calling FSAIC at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). 

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