Due to current court orders, the one-time student loan debt relief program is blocked. The federal government is however seeking to over these orders. Visit the Federal Student Aid website for more information and to subscribe for updates.
The U.S. Department of Education is offering public service members working in government and eligible non-profits (including community colleges), an opportunity to qualify for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. That means employees at community colleges may be eligible, even if they weren’t previously due to changes in federal eligibility criteria.
PSLF is an incredible opportunity for Michigan's community colleges to support their employees who can take advantage of this program. The MCCA is sharing this information with colleges to support our new mission focused on student success, talent development, and community vitality with a specific focus on our strategy focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Public service employers, including community colleges, can support eligible employees by completing the employment certification form required by the PSLF program. This toolkit provides an overview of the program, the role of employers and how organizations can help, program eligibility requirements, sample emails to employees, and other digital resources. The Champions toolkit recommends that employers take several important steps to encourage employees to apply for the program:
Colleges can take four important and immediate steps to support eligible employees.
Request to host a webinar by emailing the U.S. Department of Education at fsaengagement@ed.gov. MCCA funder, the Kresge Foundation hosted an excellent webinar with valuable information about PSLF.
Share the PSLF employment certification form with employees and provide additional information about how employees can work with the college to complete the form.
Please note that the PSLF program is different from the One-Time Student Loan Debt Relief program which provides $10,000 or $20,000 in debt relief to eligible borrowers. Additional information about the One-Time Student Loan Debt Relief program is now available.
In addition to applying for student loan forgiveness, the state of Michigan has other financial resources to help eligible individuals and families. Michiganders can apply for food assistance, WIC, healthcare coverage, childcare costs, cash assistance, and emergency relief for housing, utility, and burial services on MiBridges with one application.