On This Page
Student Loan Sweepstakes gives every eligible borrower free ways to earn entries — up to 10 per month — into a recurring drawing. Winners are chosen through a cryptographically secure random drawing, then verified through an identity and eligibility check, before their prize is paid directly to their loan servicer — never as cash to the winner.
It feels like a lottery-style chance to have your student loan debt paid down — but unlike a lottery, our sweepstakes is always free to enter and never requires a purchase. The mechanics behind Student Loan Sweepstakes are laid out in full in the Official Rules; this page walks through that same process in plain language, in the order it actually happens.
1. Create a Free Account
Signing up costs nothing. To be eligible you need to be a legal U.S. resident, 18 or older (19 in Alabama and Nebraska), with an active student loan balance from a domestic accredited lender, and you must be the primary borrower on the qualifying loans.
2. Earn Entries the Free Way
Entries are earned through free methods — primarily the Alternative Method of Entry (AMOE) form — plus bonus entries for things like referring a friend or maintaining an entry streak. Every participant, free or subscribed, shares the same 10-entry cap per draw period. An optional paid subscription supports the platform's mission and conveniently applies entries up to that same cap, but it never buys odds beyond what a free entrant can already reach.
3. Entries Roll Into the Draw Period
Entries count toward whichever draw period is currently open. During the current Pilot Program (through January 5, 2027), the cadence itself changes over time — starting monthly, then moving to bi-weekly, then weekly — with each period's close time announced on the platform.
4. The Drawing Itself
Once a draw period closes, a winner is selected through a cryptographically secure random drawing — every eligible entry has an equal, independent chance, with no skill or number-matching involved. Odds are simple math: total entries submitted versus prizes awarded. If 500,000 entries are submitted for 1 prize, each individual entry has roughly a 1-in-500,000 chance, so a participant holding all 10 entries has a 10-in-500,000 chance that period. The full odds language lives in the Official Rules.
5. Winner Notification
The selected winner is notified by both email and phone. This is also the point where the verification clock starts — a winner who can't be reached or doesn't respond in time forfeits the prize to an alternate.
6. Verification Before Any Payment
Before any money moves, the winner electronically signs a Winner Affidavit of Eligibility and Publicity Release and an IRS Form W-9 (or W-8BEN for non-U.S. persons) through SignWell, and completes identity verification. Sensitive information like a Social Security Number is entered directly into the e-signature vendor's hosted form — SLS itself never stores it. If the primary winner is ineligible, fails verification, or doesn't respond in time, an alternate winner is selected from the remaining eligible entries of the same draw period using the same random process.
7. The Prize Is Paid Directly to the Loan Servicer
The prize is non-cash — it's paid directly to the winner's loan servicer(s), covering up to 10 separate loan accounts, with a fulfillment target of 30 calendar days after verification is complete. During the current Pilot Program, grand prizes start at $1,000 and don't exceed $4,999 per draw. Prizes are taxable income (a 1099-MISC is issued for prizes of $600 or more), and during the Pilot Period no amount is withheld or grossed up for taxes — the winner is responsible for their own tax liability. See the Official Rules for the exact tax and withholding language.
Ready to Get Your Free Entries?
Creating an account takes a minute and costs nothing. During the current Pilot Program, each drawing awards up to $4,999 paid directly to the winner's loan servicer.
Create Your Free AccountNo purchase or payment necessary to enter or win. Open to legal U.S. residents 18+ (19 in AL/NE) with an active student loan balance. Prizes are non-cash and paid directly to the winner's loan servicer(s); prizes are taxable income and winners are responsible for their own tax liability. Void where prohibited. See the Official Rules for full terms.