The Issue
Under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), federal student loan borrowers employed by government agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or other nonprofit organizations that provide public library services or school library services, are eligible to have their federal student loan balance forgiven after making 10 years of qualifying loan payments. Many library workers meet the employer eligibility criteria for the program.
Resources for Borrowers
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (U.S. Department of Education)
- PSLF Help Tool (U.S. Department of Education)
- Accessing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (Student Borrower Protection Center)
Recent News
- American Libraries: Librarians reflect on life-changing federal loan forgiveness (March 15, 2022)
- ALA encourages library workers to ascertain eligibility and apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver before October 31 (January 31, 2022)
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness program overhaul announced (December 2021)
- ALA calls on U.S. Dept. of Education to review PSLF program (April 20, 2021)
- Spending Bill Includes Big Increases for Libraries (March 23, 2018)
- Congress focuses on higher education (January 2018)
Recent Advocacy
- Comments to Department of Education urging improvements to PSLF program, including inclusion of private contract librarians, rule clarifications (August 12, 2022)
- Coalition letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urging the Dept. of Ed. to ensure all Public Service Loan Forgiveness program changes are retroactive (September 22, 2021)
- Coalition letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona uging a review of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (April 12, 2021)
- Coalition letter to Congressional leadership advocating for public service loan forgivensss to be part of COVID-19 relief (April 16, 2020)
- Coalition letter to Congress about preserving the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (November 12, 2017)
Temporary Waiver (Closed October 2022)
In October 2021, the Education Department announced changes to PSLF, including a limited waiver that applies retroactively. During the waiver period, past payment that would not otherwise count toward PSLF will be made eligible and borrowers who previously would not have qualified for PSLF may now qualify. Borrowers had to submit necessary paperwork by Oct. 31, 2022, when the waiver ended. The waiver can apply to borrowers with any number of relevant payments, including those who have not yet made 10 years of payments.
- PSLF Waiver Offers Way to Get Closer to Loan Forgiveness (U.S. Department of Education)
- Live Webinars About the PSLF Temporary Waiver (PSLF Coalition, full archive of webinars available)
- October 5, 2022
- PSLF Limited Waiver Fact Sheet (PSLF Coalition)
Coalition
ALA participates in the PSLF Coalition.
Staff Contact Information
Kevin Maher
Deputy Director, Public Policy & Advocacy
kmaher@alawash.org