These people are finally free of student debt. Join them.
After major changes to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, many borrowers are finally out from under what they thought would be a lifetime of student debt. Nearly all AFT members with federal student loans can qualify for this debt relief. Could you be next? Only if you act now: The changes that have erased billions of dollars in debt are set to expire Oct. 31, 2022; applications must be submitted before then.
So far, the federal government has erased $8.1 billion in student debt for more than 145,000 borrowers (as of July 2022), and many are walking away with a zero debt balance. But the change that has made this possible — primarily a waiver of some of the requirements to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness relief — is only temporary. On Oct. 31, 2022, the system reverts to a more restrictive formula under which fewer people will qualify for forgiveness.
It’s time to sound the warning so that no one misses out on the opportunity to cancel tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt while they can. If you or someone you know might qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness — the program that cancels all leftover student debt after a public service worker has made the equivalent of 10 years of payments — you can get key information about how to enroll in the following ways:
Some affiliates are also conducting in-person student debt clinics; ask your union rep for more information.
Other student debt news to keep in mind: The pause on loan payments established during the pandemic is set to run out Aug. 31, though the Biden administration is considering an extension. And President Joe Biden is considering $10,000 in broadly distributed student debt relief; debt relief advocates continue to push for $50,000. The AFT has advocated for broad-based cancellation of student debt.
Meanwhile, PSLF relief may be available to thousands more borrowers. Help us reach more people like the ones below, who are celebrating their freedom from debt thanks to these changes and the AFT’s advocacy:
Bettye Ford
Adjunct professor of psychology, Los Angeles Community College, Los Angeles College Faculty Guild: Saved $464,309.
The biggest issue [with student debt] is it feels almost oppressive generationally. One person in your family becomes a doctor or lawyer and they owe this money, and the next generation cannot be assisted with their college education. [With the debt relief] I now have the ability to foresee how my daughter will attend college. I feel freedom in my own personal world, and I feel freedom in the generations to come in my family. I feel like this has opened doors for us moving forward in a lot of different ways. It is a step in closing the gap. Persistence and patience are key. Apply and keep trying.
Mary Crabtree
Junior high school teacher, Medina, Ohio; Buckeye Local Education Association: Saved $93,000.
I got an email from my loan servicers and it said hey, guess what, we reviewed your loans and you don’t owe any more money. I thought, oh, this is a joke, like you won the lottery but you didn’t really play. [But] sure enough it was real. It was almost $93,000 real, which was absolutely life-changing for me. … I think my story can be your story. Even if you don’t know and you’re not sure, I would say it’s worth your time to go to the website to look it up, to talk to your union rep, to explore this.
Richard Haase
High school English teacher, Long Island, N.Y.; Half Hollow Hills Teachers’ Association: Saved $20,000.
Twenty thousand dollars is what I still owed in student debt last fall after 21 years of teaching. It’s what I was told years ago didn’t qualify for loan forgiveness. And it’s what I’d probably still be paying when my kids go to college if it weren’t for the fierce advocacy of our amazing union and our relentless AFT President Randi Weingarten [who sued Betsy DeVos over the failing PSLF program]. PSLF, for many of our members, can be a new promise. …But we have to start now to bring it to our people, and then continue our advocacy to make sure it becomes something future generations of members can count on.
Yvonne Dowell
Licensed addiction counselor, Baltimore; AFT Healthcare Maryland: Saved $40,000.
At age 71, I never thought I’d see the day. I am so grateful. Grateful to the union for urging me to apply for loan relief, and showing me how; grateful to Randi Weingarten for bringing a lawsuit against Betsy DeVos to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; grateful to everyone involved.
Brett Kuwada
Professor of psychology, Seattle; AFT Everett Higher Education: Saved $130,000.
After years of phone calls, loan restructures, research, consolidations, more restructures, confusion, frustration, and department after department, enrolling in the Summer program through the AFT made it a shockingly easy and quick process [toward loan relief]. I would HIGHLY recommend using their services prior to the Oct. 31 deadline so you can feel the immense burden lifted off your shoulders, as I have. To be honest, I’m still waiting for someone to call “April Fools!” or “oops, we made a mistake” because it was so easy and painless. Now my family and I have more financial freedom and it feels amazing. Please, take advantage of this opportunity, for yourself and your family. You won’t regret that you did.
Tiffany Friedman
Senior academic advisor, Educational Opportunity Program, State University of New York at Stony Brook; United University Professions: Saved $35,000.
I graduated from my master’s program over 15 years ago and have been paying back my loans since then uninterrupted. I felt like the debt would never go away. This debt was unique. I have paid for cars and homes that were more than my college debt. The student debt balance seemed to stay the same despite years of consistent on-time payments. Then I went to one of UUP’s debt clinics and learned about how to enroll in the loan forgiveness program. I applied for loan forgiveness multiple times before and was constantly rejected on technicalities. However, an expanded loan forgiveness program came along that looked back on all my previous payments that did not count and I was able to get my loans forgiven. I am so grateful and happy that this will no longer hang over me. I even received a refund for over-paying which was an added bonus! I want to personally thank [UUP Statewide Secretary-Treasurer] Jeri O’Bryan-Losee for helping me and other union members.
Andie Hartz
Literacy coach, Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers: Saved $37,000.
I nearly cried when I found out this debt would be erased. I couldn’t believe all these years of thinking and worrying about my debt … it was just a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Finally I feel like I have this space to go to the grocery store whenever I need and not wait always until payday. Or to be able to make financial decisions, like OK, I’m going to put money into a 529 for my kids. I couldn’t do that before, because I didn’t have anything extra.
Carron “CeeJay” Johnson
Paraprofessional, St. Louis, Mo.; AFT St. Louis: Saved $12,000.
I am super excited about the support I had from Summer. I was paying for school out of my pocket because I don’t want to take any more loans on, and I thought I’d have to give up going to school; I’m trying to take care of a 15-year-old, [and] it was a lot for somebody who was making less than $15 an hour. Now I’m going to stay in school — I just re-enrolled yesterday. AFT, thank you for giving this great benefit to one of the lowest paid on the education list!
James White
Vascular access nurse, Columbus, Ohio; Ohio Nurses Association: Saved $62,000.
I struggled through the PSLF program for years. I had about six years of payments denied because they were the wrong type of consolidation. Seven years into doing it correctly those previous loan types also became valid. I was immediately forgiven and had over $6,000 in payments returned as well.
This story was compiled by AFT communications specialist Virginia Myers. Want to see more stories like this? Subscribe to AFT e-newsletters.
