148,000 Michigan residents may qualify for student loan forgiveness

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Thursday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced 148,000 Michiganders may qualify for student loan forgiveness.

Michigan residents who work in public service, such as those who work for the state, have until Oct. 31 to see if they are eligible. Until that date, the U.S. Department of Education is offering public servants working in government and eligible non-profits a second chance to qualify for student loan forgiveness.

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An estimated 148,000 public service workers in Michigan could be eligible for student loan debt relief under the PSLF waiver. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid’s June report, over 6,000 Michiganders have taken advantage of the PSLF waiver and have had $358 million in loans forgiven.

“After working as an educator for over 20 years, doing what I absolutely love, I was blessed to have my student loans forgiven years sooner than expected. I am so thankful that I applied for the PSLF program years earlier and followed through each year with the recertification process,” said Erika Carpenter, an educator of 23 years in Southfield. “Teachers should not have student loans, especially when we do not get the income we deserve.”

Bryan Van Dorn, a state employee from East Lansing, said he took advantage of the PSLF waiver the last time it became available in Fall of 2021.

“We just kept making loan payments. Chipping away at interest. Hardly making a dent,” said Van Dorn. “Last fall the rules changed and each of the payments I had made for the proceeding 10 plus years that were previously ineligible were deemed eligible. So I applied again under this temporary relief. Some paperwork, processing time, and anxious anticipation later, the remaining balance is now zero. Having these loans forgiven all but guarantees that my daughter won’t have to shoulder the same burden.”

There are several online resources for Michigan residents to check out, plus the waiver form.

Michiganders can use the student aid search tool to verify their employer qualifies for PSLF. They’ll be asked to submit a certified copy of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Employment Certification form to the U.S. Department of Education before October 31.

If borrowers have questions regarding their individual situation, they can visit Michigan’s student aid website or call FedLoan Servicing at 1-855-265-4038.

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