Student Loan Debt Relief

In August 2022, Federal Student Aid and the Biden-Harris Administration announced a Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Plan of up to $20,000 for loan borrowers who had received a Federal Pell Grant and up to $10,000 for loan borrowers who were not Federal Pell Grant recipients. To be eligible, the borrower’s annual income for either 2020 or 2021 must be below $125,000 (for individuals) or $250,000 (for married couples/head of households). If you are considered a dependent student, your eligibility will be based on one or both of your parents’ income, not your own.

UWM is not involved in the process but wanted to provide some helpful links with additional details as well as the link to the recently posted application.

UWM won’t have access to any information on whether your application was received or where it is in the process. The Department of Education will use the email you provide on your application to communicate directly with you.

While the U.S. Department of Education may already have your income information, we suggest you complete the short application which became available this week. Most borrowers who apply can expect relief within six weeks.

Borrowers can view their loan balances and check their Pell Grant status by logging into their Federal Student Aid account online at studentaid.gov.

The Federal Student Loan payment pause will be extended one final time and will end on December 31, 2022. Borrowers should begin making plans to restart repayment in January 2023.

Please visit studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/ for the most up-to-date information.

  • 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 Recipient – 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 a 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 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 U.S.Department of Education or your federal loan servicer to understand loan repayment, debt relief processes, and your role in applying for or receiving student debt relief.