Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment Universal Forms

The Department of Education (the Department) amends the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program regulations issued under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), to implement changes made to the regulations in §685.206(e) - Borrower responsibilities and defenses. These final regulations are a result of negotiated rulemaking and will add a new requirement to the current regulations. These final regulations require the collection of this information from borrowers who believe they qualify for a borrower defense to repayment discharge, as permitted under Section 455(h) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The regulations provide, among other things, for the Secretary to discharge a borrower’s Direct Loan based on the loan in question being disbursed after July 1, 2020. The Department is attaching a list of elements that we are proposing be included on a revised Application for Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment form (Universal Borrower Defense Application). This revised form will be based on the current Universal Borrower Defense Application, OMB control number 1845-0146, and will facilitate processing claims from all borrowers who believe that they have a valid borrower defense claim.

The latest form for Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment Universal Forms expires 2023-11-30 and can be found here.