Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am writing to be certain you are aware of a student loan forgiveness program for people who work for public employers, such as UVM.

UVM faculty and staff with outstanding federal student loans may be eligible for debt relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). If you have federal student loans, I urge you to complete the steps below in advance of the approaching deadline of Monday, October 31, 2022.

PSLF enables eligible individuals who have worked in public service positions, including all positions at UVM, to obtain a waiver of repayment for some or all of the balance on qualifying student loans.

While there are many student loan forgiveness programs with different requirements and deadlines, the PSLF waiver is only available until October 31. To take advantage, you must:

• Register for an FSA ID if you do not currently have one;
• Have a balance outstanding on direct loans (or consolidate other federal loans into a direct loan);
• Submit a PSLF form to certify employment for the time you want credit for through the waiver. Individuals can generate a PSLF form for UVM to certify at Federal Student Aid. It is important to use the UVM Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN 03-0179440) in the PSLF Help Tool. After the PSLF Help Tool provides a PDF, individuals must sign and date it and present it for certification by UVM Human Resource Services, 228 Waterman Building, open between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday

Help is available to complete the PSLF application from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), which has graciously offered to answer UVM employees’ questions regardless of whether your loans originated from VSAC. You can also contact a U.S. Department of Education customer service representative at 1-800-433-3243 or at this site.

Sincerely,

Karin Tierney

Interim Chief Human Resources Officer