Here’s how students in the Sacramento area and beyond can apply for student loan relief

The application for student loan debt relief is now live — and students and administrators in the Sacramento area say word-of-mouth is a key way people are learning about the program.

Jessica Gutierrez is the graduate student assistant at Sacramento State’s Serna Center, which supports and serves Chicanx/Latinx students. 

“For the most part, I've been doing my best to verbally remind and inform students and peers about student loan debt relief and the app going live,” Gutierrez said. 

While updates on the application were available through a federal mailing list, there have still been questions surrounding debt relief and how to get it. 

Many Sacramentans – and Californians at-large – have some amount of student loan debt. The median debt for undergraduates who complete college is $15,000. However, students who do not finish their degree, or take longer than four years to graduate – which is disproportionately experienced by Black and Latino students – may struggle with repaying aid. 

At UC Davis, where median student debt for undergraduates who finish college is slightly lower than at Sac State – $13,199 – the alumni relations office is sharing information about the program, which went live this week, through social media and its newsletter.

“Our financial aid website has information that points to a federal website about the program,” added Julia Ann Easley, one of the school’s media relations specialists. 

The Associated Students at UC Davis, which is the university’s student government, is planning to use the @UCDPresident Instagram in coming weeks to share more information, said current ASUCD president Radhika Gawde. 

She says the posts specifically will focus on “how they can access the student debt relief and to educate them regarding eligibility criteria.”  

Faith Galati, the executive director at Breakthrough Sacramento, says the organization has been following Gutierrez’s model of sharing information through conversation. The tuition-free college preparation program aims to support under-resourced and underrepresented students in the area in their pursuit of higher education. 

Galati wants to ensure parents and guardians are informed about the possibility of student debt and the current loan forgiveness being offered.

“We’re very intentional with our conversations related to debt, and it isn’t just with the students that we have this conversation — it’s with the parents, as well,” she said. “For students who already have loans, we’re simply sending out links and information so they can follow along and see their options.”

More information on student loan debt relief

More information about the debt relief application — including the types of federal loans eligible for forgiveness, how to check your loan balances and what to expect if you still have a loan balance after the debt relief is applied — is available at a FAQ page compiled by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Up to $20,000 of federal student loans can be forgiven through the program.

The application is available in English and Spanish. It went live on Oct. 17 and will remain open until Dec. 31, 2023, and doesn’t require you to make an account or submit tax documents. Instead, it requires five pieces of information:

• First and last name (with a spot for former last name, if needed)
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Phone number 
• Email

There will soon be a paper version of the form for those who need it. 

President Joe Biden announced the one-time federal student loan forgiveness in mid-August, an income-based program that will forgive $10,000 worth of debt for borrowers who make $125,000 or less (for individuals) and $250,000 or less (for families). Pell Grant recipients who fall under those income limits will have $20,000 worth of debt forgiven. 

While the form doesn’t ask for any tax documents, applicants are asked to sign their name confirming at least one of the following is true for either 2020 or 2021:

• I made less than the required income to file federal taxes.
• I filed as a single tax-filer AND made less than $125,000.
• I was married, filed my taxes separately, AND made less than $125,000.
• I was married, filed my taxes jointly, AND made less than $250,000.
• I filed as a head of household AND made less than $250,000.
• I filed as a qualifying widow(er) AND made less than $250,000.

In determining eligibility, the U.S. Department of Education may ask for further proof of income, which you’ll need to submit by March 31, 2024. Otherwise, after completing the application, you don’t need to do anything else – your loan servicer will let you know once the relief has been processed.