Do Wright Students Qualify for the One-Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief?

The One-Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief will soon be a hot topic again as its Supreme Court hearings will take place in late February. How much of the Wilbur Wright student community will the hearing actually affect?

The Biden administration is preparing to defend a plan that, if approved, may alleviate many people from a large portion of their student loan debt. Americans collectively owe $1.75 trillion in total student loan debt, according to Forbes.

The Biden administration’s Plan may forgive up to $10,000 in student debt belonging to non-Pell Grant recipients and up to $20,000 belonging to Pell Grant recipients. The debt relief will only apply to loans taken out prior to June 30, 2022, according to studentaid.gov.

However, the application portal on studentaid.gov is closed indefinitely. The application was opened for a short period from Oct. 17 to 21, 2022 before a federal appeals court ruled to pause the application and debt relief payments until a decision is made.

This debt relief could assist current Wright students, even if it won’t cover future loans. 40% of Wright students said they have student loans, according to a recent Wright Times survey. Similarly, 40% said they will definitely apply for the One-Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief if possible.

Students attend Wright for many different reasons and under different circumstances. Adriana Briceno is a student who is currently only pursuing her associate’s degree as a means to solidify her stage in life right now. Briceno said the debt relief would be a driving force for her to pursue a higher education and career position than she might have if it doesn’t get approved. Briceno is on financial aid.

Vishua Patel, another Wright student, said that the Relief doesn’t affect her at all as she can’t receive financial aid or other types of Federal funds because of her undocumented status. She plans on transferring to either Northeastern University or Fox College due to their low cost, and plans on becoming a Veterinary Technician.

The Relief provides “more of an opportunity” to pursue their career path in psychology, said a student who wished to remain anonymous. Without the Relief, they said they would have to wait until they had the money to continue their educational goals. They believed that the Fund would motivate today’s students to attend college and give them the financial help they need to pursue their careers.