If you’re going to say something with a lot at stake, you better make sure it’s right.

Look, I know the student loan forgiveness debate is a pretty controversial issue, and I’m not really here to give my side. However, with talk of student loans being forgiven, you naturally want to take advantage of that if that’s truly an option. 

So yeah, I’ll admit it: I submitted an application for student loan forgiveness. Might as well, right? I still have an outstanding student loan, and if the President is saying that they could be forgiven, then I guess I should see if my loans are eligible for any forgiveness. 

Regardless of where you stand on the matter, I think we can all agree the way this has been handled is wrong. 

After applying for student loan forgiveness, I received an email that many others received with a false subject headline. 

The email said: 

"Your Student Loan Debt Relief Application Has Been Approved."

In the body of the email, it said:

“We received your application or have the income information to process you for loan relief. You do not need to take any further action at this time.” 

If you actually read the whole email, though, you will realize that the overall tone will change.

At the bottom of the email, it reveals that you, in fact, are not actually approved for loan relief at all. 

“Unfortunately, a number of lawsuits have been filed challenging the program, which have blocked our ability to discharge your debt at present. We believe strongly that the lawsuits are meritless, and the Department of Justice has appealed on our behalf. We will keep your application information and will continue our review of your eligibility if and when we prevail in court. We will update you when there are new developments.”

That email was received by millions across the country last month, signed by Miguel A. Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education. 

Unfortunately, the federal contractor in charge of sending out emails on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education made a major typo in the initial email. The subject headline was supposed to read, “the applications were received,” rather than “approved.” 

Now, the federal contractor, Accenture Federal Services, and the U.S. Department of Education are investigating the error and working on quality control to maintain that an issue like this will never happen again. 

If you received an email between November 22 and 23, double check the full email to see if you were actually approved for the email….or if you were not. 

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in regards to student loan forgiveness in February.

If everything is passed and the plan moves through, the Biden Administration plans to forgive $10,000 in federal student debt to those with incomes under $125,000 or households making less than $250,000. Recipients of the federal Pell Grant would be eligible for an additional $10,000 forgiven.

In the meantime, President Joe Biden extended the pause on student loan payments through June 30. If the lawsuits are resolved before the end of June, the pause will end sooner.

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