Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Resources
The Department of Education has confirmed that student loan interest will resume starting on Sept. 1, 2023, and payments will be due starting in October 2023.
Financial wellness is a critical component of overall well-being, and Ohio State offers resources for faculty and staff to help alleviate strain and stressors related to student loan debt. As an Ohio State employee, you have exclusive access to partners who can help you through the student loan repayment and forgiveness process.
Since Ohio State is a public service employer, employees may be eligible to apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) if the specified applicant criteria is met. The program exists to help individuals working full time in the public service sector achieve forgiveness of student loan debt.
If you have been repaying student loans for at least 10 years and are currently a full-time Ohio State employee, you may be eligible for PSLF and may not have to pay back the full balance of your student loans. Forgiveness may be available for individuals’ loans, as well as parents who borrowed a Federal Direct PLUS Loan on behalf of a dependent undergraduate child.
Generally, the PSLF Program cancels the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 eligible monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. To be eligible for the program, individuals should be working full-time for a public service employer for at least 10 years and making payments through a 10-year standard repayment or one of the federal income-driven repayment plans.
The Department of Education has released SAVE, an updated Income-Driven Plan that may help lower monthly payments for student loan borrowers. This new plan includes many improvements for borrowers, but some of the highlights include:
- Lower monthly payments
- Any unpaid interest will be covered so your loan balance doesn’t increase
- Allows borrowers to maximize forgiveness by lowering the total amount paid over the lifetime of their loans
To help navigate the PSLF lengthy record-keeping process and eligibility requirements as well as the SAVE repayment plan, Ohio State offers services to assist employees:
- If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this site, please contact us for assistance via email at hrconnection@osu.edu or by phone at 614-247-6947.
- Ohio State employees, as well as their immediate family members, have access to free and discounted services provided by Savi. Please review FAQs for additional information. You can also learn more by joining a webinar with Savi experts.
- Wexner Medical Center employees also have access to Tuition.io. Visit MyTools and HealthBeat HUB for more information.
Please visit the website for Federal Student Aid for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Employees need to complete the PSLF form with the employer’s certification and submit it to the U.S. Department of Education’s federal loan servicer. The process is outlined on the PSLF website.
Ohio State cannot accept DocuSign PSLF forms. Please save your Department of Education-generated PSLF form as a PDF document. Then follow the instructions to submit it to Ohio State as a PDF. PSLF forms submitted via DocuSign will not be completed.
Savi is available to assist Ohio State employees with the process.
Tuition.io is also available to assist Wexner Medical Center employees with the process.
Faculty and staff have access to Savi, a tool to help student loan borrowers better understand their debt, optimize their repayment options and enroll in the best plan for their financial needs. As a partner with Ohio State, Savi’s services are offered at a free or discounted rate to help employees keep student loans on track.
Savi assists with the PSLF process and can help borrowers find the best repayment and potential forgiveness options on student loans. Savi also has monthly workshops and an archive of educational resources.
Student loan policy experts, advocates and borrowers founded Savi to help solve the U.S. student debt crisis. Regardless of how much debt you have and where you are in your repayment journey, Savi can help walk you through every step of the process to ensure you can achieve financial freedom. Savi can help you save money on your monthly payments, provide one-on-one customized support and create a clear path to apply for loan forgiveness.
You can also learn more by joining a webinar with Savi experts.
Ohio State employees have exclusive access to Savi at free and discounted rates. There are three levels of services provided by Savi for Ohio State employees. Each offers varying levels of support and features to assist you through the student debt process:
- The “DIY” account is offered at no cost for employees and provides access to the Savi Platform’s optimization tools and student loan education content.
- The “Essential” account is $60 per year and provides the features of the DIY account, as well as full enrollment features, ongoing loan monitoring and a full-time support team.
- The “Pro” account is $130 per year and includes all the DIY and Essential plan features, as well as 1-on-1 access to an expert who can speak at length to overall financial wellness and goals related to student loan debt.
Yes. Employees’ immediate family members (including parents, children and siblings) have access to Savi at Ohio State’s free or discounted rates. Whoever holds the loan in their name should complete the Savi registration and PSLF application. Therefore, family members should register on the Savi website and complete their own PSLF application if the loan is in their name.
To obtain Ohio State’s certification, current employees may use an Ohio State provider to navigate the process or complete the process directly on your own with the Department of Education.
Using an Ohio State provider to navigate the process
- All Employees can use Savi to upload your PSLF form and Ohio State will review for approval and submit back to Savi. Savi will then send this to the Department of Education.
- Medical center employees can also use Tuition.io. For more information see MyTools and HealthBeat HUB.
Completing the process directly on your own with the Department of Education
If you apply directly, please submit the form through HR Connection. It can also be emailed to HRConnection@osu.edu, faxed to 614-292-7813 or mailed to 1590 North High Street, Suite 300, Columbus, OH 43201.
Ohio State cannot accept DocuSign PSLF forms. Please save your Department of Education-generated PSLF form as a PDF document. Then follow the instructions to submit it to Ohio State as a PDF. PSLF forms submitted via DocuSign will not be completed.
The forms must have page one completed and signed, be of clear and clean quality and be free of any marks in the margins/cross offs/or needed corrections to page 2. Please leave page two blank. The form may take up to 30 days to process and will be returned to you once completed.
New employees are eligible to use Savi on their start date. Review the PSLF eligibility criteria when applying for loan forgiveness.
Medical center employees are eligible to participate in Tuition.io the first of the month following their start date. More information about the Tuition.io process and tax implications for Medical Center employees is available in MyTools and HealthBeat HUB.
