Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

What is Public Service Loan Forgiveness?

The federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was designed to encourage graduates with student loan debt to enter public service. The PSLF program can award forgiveness of federal Direct Loan student debt remaining after ten years of eligible public service and 120 loan payments (ten years of monthly payments). CUNY is an eligible public service institution, as are other public and non-profit colleges and schools.

Governor Signs Bill Making Many Adjuncts Eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness

PSC President James Davis and dozens of PSC members joined Governor Kathy Hochul at BMCC Thursday, September 15 to celebrate the signing of a legislation to expand access to public service loan forgiveness. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Kevin Thomas and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, will allow many adjunct faculty who were carved out of public service loan forgiveness to now qualify. Read more.

Union Membership Made It Happen

Join the PSC today! 

Download a flier

“Biden Waiver” to Allow Faster Public Service Loan Forgiveness Expires October 31

Adjuncts: Get Started on Loan Consolidation | Apply to CUNY

A special waiver negotiated by the AFT, our national affiliate, and the Biden administration that expands the types of eligible federal loans and broadens the periods of repayment that may count toward eligibility for public service loan forgiveness will soon expire. Waiver applications must be submitted by October 31, 2022 with documentation from employers and application for loan consolidation (consolidation need not be completed, the Department of Education–DOE–is backed up).

Now that Governor Hochul has signed the Thomas/Epstein bill adjuncts who may qualify for public service loan forgiveness should make sure their federal student loans are in process to consolidated into the Direct Loan Program and they should begin submitting their application forms to CUNY campus HR departments  to document public service. We recommend adjuncts write a cover letter for your employment verification forms for CUNY HR (not DOE) that documents courses taught each semester by department and calculated hours taught to prevent HR errors.

New development: AFT lobbying efforts have resulted in DOE agreeing to timestamp employment verification forms at the time they are generated electronically at the DOE student aid site using the Federal Employer Identification Number. (CUNY’s FEIN is on your W2 and listed below this paragraph.). DOE has also agreed to accept forms not following that process after October 31 provided that they are properly signed and dated by employer by October 31. 

CUNY Community College Federal Employer Identification Number

Community Colleges FEIN 13-6400434

Registered to the City of New York, 450 W. 33rd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

CUNY Senior College Federal Employer Identification Number

CUNY Senior Colleges FEIN 13-3893536

Registered to the City University of New York, 205 E. 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017.

Video Overview

Video Biden Waivers expires Oct 31, 2022

General PSLF Webinars and Resources not specific to Higher Education

Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program–EDCAP (Community Service Society of New York). Offers free and unbiased student loan counseling services and can guide you through the PSLF application process. EDCAP is funded by NYS.

• Upcoming & Recorded Student Loan Borrower Webinars

PSLF.nyc (Offers free webinars and resources to guide PSLF applications. Funded by Robin Hood Foundation.)

• Webinars (live & recorded) & one on one counseling

Student Borrower Protection Center PSLF Project (videos, guides, FAQ)

US Dept of Education (DOE) Student Aid

• US DOE Student Aid: All thinks Student Aid
• US DOE SA PSLF
• US DOE PSLF Employment and Application Form Help Tool

Share your experiences and tips applying for PSLF + Suggestions for additional resources for this Webpage

• PSC Member crowd-sourced PSLF Tips & Experiences (shared google doc)

About Part Time Eligibility & NYS Bills A9523/S8389

PSC-CUNY worked with Harvey Epstein (AD74) and Kevin Thomas (SD6) to lobby and pass the NYS bill A9523/S8389 that requires NYS colleges to report adjunct “PT” eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program more closely to actual hours worked than misleading “contact hours.”

Historically it is our understanding that reporting of hours worked of PT faculty is inconsistent, but within the ability of CUNY campuses to consistently report to PSLF FT eligibility for adjuncts under the same parameters of the bill.

The Department of Education requires “FT” public service to qualify for PSLF. Full time tenure track faculty and staff are consistently reported full time by eligible institutions. Ambiguity arises with “part-time” adjunct faculty that are paid by “contact hour” which does not reflect the actual hours of work. Some colleges have reported to PSLF program adjunct faculty hours worked by contact hours, for instance 3 hours per 3 credit class for a total of 9 hours a week for three classes, resulting in adjuncts being turned down by the PSLF program for those semesters. However it is within the scope of the federal guidelines for colleges to report adjuncts teaching for instance three three credit courses of working 30 hours of week and to qualify as FT public service for the purposes of the PSLF program, which some colleges do. The NYS bill requires CUNY colleges to report Adjunct work at CUNY to be 3.35 times contact hours. Hours worked can be combined with employment at other eligible institutions, e.g. other non-profit colleges and other eligible nonprofit employment. To do so, adjuncts need to apply to each institution to document with the PSLF program.

About “Biden Waiver” & Deadline October 31, 2022.

The AFT sued the US Department of Education about the high rate of rejections of PSLF applications and negotiated with the Biden administration special waivers to expand the types of eligible federal loans and broaden the periods that count towards the required 120 payments including some periods of suspended federal student loan payments (e.g. Covid suspensions).

PSLF applications are required to be applied for by October 31st 2022 to be eligible for all of the “Biden Waivers.” This includes application and completion of federal loan consolidation and submission of employer public service documentation. The ten years of public service and 120 payments need not be completed at the time of the PSLF application and can be updated annually.