Financial Aid

Loan Forgiveness

It has been announced that the student loan debt relief is on hold while it is being examined in the courts. 

As well, an extension of the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections was announced. Payments will resume 60 days after the Department of Education is permitted to implement the debt relief program or the litigation is resolved, which will give the Supreme Court an opportunity to resolve the case during its current Term. If the program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023, payments will resume 60 days after that.

In August 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced student loan debt relief for eligible borrowers.

This loan cancellation program is far-reaching and will allow for up to $10,000 or $20,000 in debt relief to many student loan borrowers. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Education also continues to manage many targeted, ongoing loan forgiveness programs directed at specific populations.

While UC will not be involved in your application for loan forgiveness, we provide links here to assist you in making application for debt relief with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and information about the program.

UC will NOT have information on if your application was received or where it stands in the process. You will receive communication on your application from ED to the email you use on your application.

With the recently announced student debt cancellation, a new wave of scams has already begun trying to gain access to personal and financial information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Department of Education (ED) remind borrowers to be on alert.

This debt cancellation program does not have a fee, and borrowers never have to pay for information or pay to sign up for any federal loan forgiveness program. Additionally, borrowers will not receive calls or texts about this program. ED emails will come from the following addresses:  noreply@studentaid.govnoreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov, or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com.

Web links should only take you to https://studentaid.gov. You can always bypass any links of concern and go directly to that official website for federal student aid.

Report any suspicious activity to the FTC.


App and Info Websites

The application link and following resources can provide information on the far-reaching debt relief program announced in August 2022:

  • Student Loan Debt Relief Application – Apply today (but no later than Dec. 31, 2023); application takes about 5 minutes and has no log in or documents required.
  • Parents of Children With Eligible Student Loans – If you’re a parent with eligible loans of your own, including parent PLUS loans, you can submit your own Student Loan Debt Relief Application; your application will be processed separately from any your child submits.
  • U.S. Department of Education (ED) Press Release – Key information of final loan pause extension and targeted debt cancellation.
  • ED Website Explaining Debt Relief Plan – Basic information with ongoing updates as the process develops.
  • White House Fact Sheet on Student Loan Relief – Biden-Harris Administration outline of 3-part plan to assist student borrowers.
  • ED Website to Review Your Loan Debt and if You Were a Pell Grant Receipt – Borrowers can log in to their personal account at studentaid.gov to review their current student loan debt as well as see if they had previously received the Federal Pell Grant.
  • ED Website on Loan Repayment Restart Following COVID Pause – All borrowers with remaining loan balances should review information on the restart of repayment after several years of pause so as to avoid default or other issues.
  • Sign up for Updates from ED – Provide your email to sign up for Federal Student Loan Borrower Updates as well as other ED programs.
Determination on applications is expected to take 4 to 6 weeks but could take longer given anticipated volume. Apply prior to November 15, 2022, if you are hoping to have a determination before going back into loan repayment on January 1, 2023.

Applications for student loan debt relief will be made with the U.S. Department of Education.

Federal Student Aid Website:  studentaid.gov

Federal Student Aid Information Center: 1-800-4FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)

Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Contact Center:  1-833-932-3439

Please work with the Department or your federal loan servicer to understand loan repayment, debt relief processes, and your role in applying for or receiving student debt relief.