AccessLex
AccessLex Institute and Equal Justice Works Partner to Strengthen the PSLF Coalition
AccessLex Institute® and Equal Justice Works recently partnered to strengthen the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Coalition — a pivotal alliance committed to preserving and fortifying the federal PSLF program.
The PSLF Program: A Path to Loan Forgiveness
Since its inception in 2007, the PSLF program has provided federal student loan borrowers with a path to forgive their remaining Direct Loan balances after completing 120 qualifying payments. To qualify, borrowers must work full-time for an eligible public service employer — such as a nonprofit organization or government agency — and make payments under a designated repayment plan. To date, more than one million public service professionals have received forgiveness under the PSLF program.i
AccessLex has long been a steadfast advocate for the success of the PSLF program as a means to increase access to critical services such as legal representation, healthcare, and high-quality education. As a founding member of the PSLF Coalition in 2017, AccessLex played a key role in early advocacy efforts. Since then, our organization has continued to advocate on Capitol Hill and with the U.S. Department of Education to preserve and strengthen the program. At AccessLex, we believe the PSLF program not only encourages individuals to pursue careers in public service but also incentivizes long-term commitments to these fields, ultimately strengthening vital services across the nation.
The PSLF Coalition: A New Era of Support for Public Service Professionals
While the PSLF program remains a valuable tool for recruiting public service professionals, implementation challenges have led to an acceptance rate of just 2.3% among processed applications since November 2020.ii This alarming percentage highlights the need for substantial improvement and intensified advocacy.
Under the newly defined partnership, AccessLex will provide Equal Justice Works with grant funding and support to co-lead the PSLF Coalition. Together, they will educate borrowers and policymakers on the value of PSLF while driving lasting, meaningful change in the program and the broader communities they serve.
Nancy Conneely, Managing Director of Policy at AccessLex Institute, emphasized the importance of this partnership in a recent press release, “It is now more important than ever to make sure that the program remains available as a means to increase the public services available to under-resourced communities so that more Americans have access to healthcare, high quality public education, legal services, and more.”
Want to Learn More?
AccessLex provides several resources to help borrowers and policymakers learn more about the value of the PSLF program as a part of our #MakeTheCase advocacy campaign:
- Video – Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- Fact Sheet – Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- Fact Sheet – Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Public Interest Law
- Policy Analysis – Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Read more about AccessLex Institute’s policy and advocacy initiatives.
i Carrasco, M. (2024, October 17). ED approves additional $4.5 Billion in public service loan forgiveness. National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators. https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/34850/ED_Approves_Additional_4_5_Billion_in_Public_Service_Loan_Forgiveness
ii Hanson, M. (2024). Student loan forgiveness statistics. Education Data Initiative. https://educationdata.org/student-loan-forgiveness-statistics/