The agency said the portal — available at https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application — will be turned on and off during beta testing. The department’s technical team will suspend the site at various locations for evaluation, improvement and maintenance. The agency encourages borrowers who do not have access to the form to try again later or wait until the application is available to all. The agency said there was no advantage to applying before full launch.
“If a borrower submits an application during beta testing, there is no need to re-apply, but no applications will be processed until the site officially launches later this month,” a department spokesman said. “This beta period will allow the department to monitor With real-world website performance, test the website before the official application release, improve the process, and catch any possible bugs before the official release.”
The department continues to lay the groundwork for the rollout as the forgiveness program faces multiple legal challenges. application is set to Open to all borrowers later this month.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration conducted a preliminary review of the president’s plan to forgive eligible borrowers up to $20,000 in federal loan debt. It has previously said applications will be short and borrowers will not be required to provide documents or federal student ID numbers.
The application will require borrowers to provide their Social Security numbers and certify that their income is below the income cap set for relief. Forgiveness is limited to borrowers earning less than $125,000 in 2020 or 2021, or married couples earning less than $250,000. According to the White House, nearly 95 percent of federal student loan borrowers meet the program’s income requirements and qualify for relief.
Borrowers have been asking for more information about the forgiveness program since President Biden unveiled it in August. They took down the Ministry of Education website on the day of the announcement. A test application portal can help management avoid duplication.