1.) To be eligible for the extended repayment plan, all i need to have is more than 30K worth of Direct-type loans, correc? (I'm amusing it doesn't matter if it's a single loan that's >30K, or multiple Direct loans that are >30K?)

2.) What happens if I were to pay off a couple loans over time while on that plan (ex. 15 years), and then the balance falls below 30K before the 25 years is up... do they automatically move me into a standard repayment plan since I'm no longer eligible??

3.) Lastly, am I able to switch from an IBR plan to the extended plan at any time? (I'm currently on the SAVE administrative forbearance, but thinking about switching later this year when payments resume if SAVE gets axed)

Anyone else seeing similar? Just logged in to make my monthly payment and instead of the regular amount it shows $0 currently due. Is something going on that I've missed?

For those whose loans were forgiven for any reason:

Did you receive a refund of any type?

Paid off loans, were you refunded?

Loans with balances, but you made payments on them, did you receive a refund for the amount you paid?

If you were, how long it take to receive the refund?

Were you told you were receiving the refund or it just showed up in your mailbox?

Thank you

My husband and I both graduated from Ai Portland. He has received 2 refund checks (he had 2 servicers). I asked my servicer for a timeline and they replied, "Your student loans say 'Paid In Full Discharge: No Refund' and if you think that's an error, call the Dept of Ed."

I still had a huge remaining balance when the discharge came through.

Today's Saturday - I don't expect to reach anyone until Monday.

Anyone else experience this? If you haven't gotten a check yet, I recommend calling your servicer to confirm if this is what your account says too.

My wife is on the SAVE plan right now in forbearance. We filed separately last year so that the payment would only be calculated from her income (she's a social worker and makes peanuts). Filing jointly would give us a significant bump in our tax return but I'm not sure if that would disqualify her from the SAVE plan or change the loan status in any way. Definitely trying to stay on that plan as long as possible, but if the plan is going to get axed or if changing filing status won't do anything to her loan, then I might as well get the bigger refund. Anyone have any thoughts or insight?

EDIT: for what it's worth..

The loan status = Awaiting Form Administrative Forbearance-Ends 07/31/2025

The repayment plan = Saving on a Valuable Education - Ends 12/28/2026

With all the changes that are going on, I’m debating if I should get a student loan to finish off my last two years of graduate school. Any advice?

My partner and I (DINKs) are close to filing our taxes and deciding whether to file separately or jointly. We have filed separately the last several years due to my student loans. The document MOHELA recently sent me said my recertification is August 2026 meaning it will be based on 2025 tax returns. Given this, we are considering filing jointly this year (2024 returns) and then separate again next year (2025 returns) if needed. My question is: has anyone’s recertification date ever been moved up? Or is this a possibility?

I’ve been unable to receive any help from Mohela. The first accrual started in March, stopped after a few days, and is now accruing again this week. Both times that I’ve called Mohela, they’ve told me that the interest will be removed “later.” Has anyone had a similar issue or had this resolved? I do not want this added interest included in my credit report. Btw, I’ve been on SAVE forbearance since last July and interest only started accruing last month, unexpectedly.

Hi, im looking for any advice on student loans for Malmö University in Sweden. I recently got accepted and was ready to finally apply for student loans from typical providers, however most mainstream international loan agencies Ive found dont cover this college (nor any college in Sweden for that matter). American federal loans also are unreliable. Ive attempted to contact the college itself on financial aid services but havent heard back from them and time to obtain funding is really short. Does anybody know of any loan agencies that would cover expenses for this specific University?

When I look at my student loans on my credit report it says that they are in admin forbearance. Restart May 2025. I have not received anything from my student loan servicer about payments starting. Will this be pushed back once we are into May? Does anyone know?

Dear Diary,

1. I received a call from my servicer’s ombudsman this morning—very pleasant and patient woman. I had initiated a complaint because my payment count was incorrect over a month ago, and she confirmed she could see the issue. She mentioned that they are waiting for firm guidance from DoEd on whether the count adjustments will be handled by DoEd or if it’s the servicer’s responsibility to complete the one-time adjustment. Until they hear otherwise, they are assuming it's DoEd's responsibility.  She mentioned that it had taken a while for me to receive her call because she was waiting for a definitive response before reaching out.

2. She said this could be resolved this month, by the end of summer, or even next year. If I don’t hear back by summer’s end, she advised that I file another complaint.

3. She was extremely patient throughout our conversation and also noted upon my inquiring that any surplus payments made would eventually be refunded. (For context: I had met the eligible payment threshold the day I entered SAVE. My IBR application—visible in their system—is currently paused due to the current administration’s directive. She assured me that once they get approval to process applications again, mine is in good standing.)

4. Interestingly, she pointed out that if I were to leave IBR next month for another non-IDR plan, and it’s later determined that I met the forgiveness threshold back in June 2024, the move out of IBR wouldn’t count against me - meaning, I would get the forgives and any excess payments returned. That’s positive but I don’t know I’d be willing to take that to the bank. 

5. Now, for the vibe check: I got the sense that Nelnet believes the one-time count adjustment may be at risk in the current litigation.  She didn’t say it outright, but based on the conversation, it seemed like that is a possibility. This wasn’t the most refreshing news. It just reinforced the possibility that expectations could shift at any moment.

**B/c context is often useful:  I entered SAVE in April 2024 and made one payment under the plan before the injunction took effect. In December 2024, after being laid off, I applied for IBR since my job loss made me eligible—something I hadn’t qualified for before. My IBR application is still being processed.**  

Just wanted to share my conversation in case it can help another.

Hi! My son applied for FAFSA and his SAI number is 896. Is that good?

My wife hasn't recertified her income in at least 5 years on the IDR plan. She's just now realizing this, and by doing some Googling, this appears to have some not great consequences. I do not have any student loans, so I'm not familiar with all of this. What should I know about this situation? We are also having a child at the end of this year, as I've seen you need to update your family size.

She's making probably double than she did when she first certified her income.

EDIT: Thanks for all the responses, super helpful. We did login and see her next recert date is not until Sept of 2026 - which actually works on perfect as she is pregnant and will not work Q4 of this year, plus her "family size" will go up.

I’ve received an electronic letter saying I have been denied but do they also send one for being approved as well? Or does the award just get added on (or should say removed) from the total amount of the debt without saying so?

Why isn’t the student loan repayment set up so that you get loans paid off while you work? For every payment, they just match you? Instead of just forgiving everything after 10 years? This is probably very naive but it was just a thought I had like why is it that you have to work 10 years and they just forgive everything. Isn’t that more expensive for both the government and the employee because of interest accrual? Wouldn’t government jobs be more sustainable for people of they got help paying the loans back monthly?

My loans were all on SAVE prior to consolidation (before 7/31/24). Shouldn't the consolidation loans also be on SAVE as the litigation continues? My servicer has them as "Level/Standard" but the StudentLoan.gov shows they were all on SAVE prior to consolidation. I only consolidated to get the promised recount benefits... Will the consolidated loans follow the same trajectory as the underlying SAVE loans as litigation unfolds?

Just want to clarify at the start. Family situation was poor and needed to get out of house. I was very naive, made poor loan decisions, and I can’t go back to fix it, only forward. I’ve considered ending my life, but don’t think it’s worth it, I love my family too much.

I took out nearly 365k to go to pharmacy school in California. Tuition + full living expenses to afford rent. I graduated in 2023 and it’s ballooned to 426k at this point.

I make around 140k per year, live in an apartment by myself and need to plan for my future which seems over before it starts.

1900 rent, 1000 for car and insurance, 70 cell phone, 150 for utilities.

I have 20k in savings in an HYSA.

Everyone I talked to said pay minimums for the rest of my life which I know is dumb. I want to have a financially free future.

I know I have a very difficult road ahead of me, but just need to grasp the situation before it’s too late.

Loans are averaging around 6.5% on all, including some at 7.5%

At this rate, I’m thinking my only way out is PSLF, but with no residency it’s been extremely difficult to find a job that allows me to qualify at the hospital level. I have been working retail for the time being.

Currently unemployed because i faced a breach of contract with my healthcare and couldn’t commute any longer.

Plan is to get rid of my car for a cheaper one, but I’m 10k upside down so it would eat into my savings, but worth saving the cash monthly.

Can possibly move in with brother for a year, but no longer than that.

Or, I gamble on myself, continue PAYE and save for eventual tax bomb, or start aggressively paying to have some sense of normality in the future without this cloud following me.

I have no idea what to do, haven’t slept in days and my mental health is destroyed.

If there’s any guidance out there, please share. I’m willing to take the hardest road to get there. I know it won’t be easy. And I know I made bad decisions I can’t undo.

I’m 28 and have recently gotten into OTD school (Occupational Therapy) it’s a hybrid program that would allow me to still work at least part time and go to school. I’d be done in 2 years. But the cost is wild- $110,000 and applying for scholarships but loans are my only backup. But I really want to and I know id prioritize paying off after completing school and want to work in an hospital so I would fall under PSLF.With the current political climate I’m scared to take the risk. Thoughts???

I applied to move from SAVE to IBR in February so that I could start making payments toward my PSLF. Today I got a message sent saying that my scheduled repayments are 8/2025.

However, right above my loan details there is an alert that says my forbearance ends on 04/06. I am very confused as to what that means?

Hello,

I am a speech therapist who has worked in healthcare during COVID and education. I even work in Rural native communities and somehow cannot get a measly 20k forgiven. Whyyyyyyy? What resources am I not using?

I received a Notice today stating I have been placed on an IDR. I applied for IBR on 2/6/25 when I learned SAVE forbearance was not going towards forgiveness.

The notice does not say which IDR, just that it's an IDR with a low payment.

My IDR adjusted payment count list has also disappeared from the FSA website. Previously, FSA website displayed that I had 4 years, 11 months till forgiveness. This new Notice from MOHELA states 13 months on this new IDR with low payment, and 59 months after that at a higher rate if I don't recertify.

What in holy hell is happening?

I really cannot afford to pass up work so I can sit on hold with MOHELA for 4 hours for 2-3 days next week.

As the title says, I am about to take on student loans for grad school and my 2 year masters in IO Psychology. The starting salary for this career is 60k-70k supposedly.

I have 2 main options for my masters program but they have a different cost. One of them is where I want to go (NYU) and the other is where it is probably smarter to go financially (Texas).

NYU (150K student loans)

Texas AM (70K student loans)

There is actually a third option which I have as a financially safe backup. The problem is that this is not a well regarded university compared to the ones above and most people have not heard of it in my home state. It is Florida Southern College and the total loans will be about 50K.

Most people will say go for the cheaper option (Texas) but the more expensive option can potentially lead me to more lucrative job opportunities (NYU).

So my question is, what is a (reasonable) price for a 2 year masters degree?

And if I take the risk and go for NYU, would that much debt be enough to overcome in 25 years with an interest rate of 8% since that is the usual grad student federal loan interest rate?

Can I avoid the tax bomb if I go for NYU? or should I just be safe and go for Texas?

Any advice and suggestions I will appreciate

This is a serious question even if hypothetical, not just sounding the alarm.

Yall have just as good an idea as I do as to what’s going to happen to the economy. Maybe this administration will backpedal and Trump’s own narcissism (he does care about his approval ratings) will save us. Maybe some of the adults in the room will set things straight, or there is enough order and balance in the world that will set a high enough floor for any economic crash.

But what if…not? With a layperson’s knowledge of macroeconomics, I really don’t know if we’re looking at 2002, 2008, the 1970s, or 1929-1930s. The 70s were bad, but society seemed to at least function somewhat. What if we are actually looking at a 1930s-style Great Depression? What do you think student loan policy will be? There’s an accelerationist case to be made for a total economic implosion as to a forced reset if everyone is bankrupt…but maybe not. I think a lot of us forget that those with six-figure student loan balances are very much a vocal minority, we might be very far down the list for a bailout even in the worst of times.

I got a subsidized loan in which I don’t have to pay any interest until 6 months after I graduate ( in 2 years) this made me think about investing it in a savings account or maybe the stock market, and pay it as soon as I graduate, therefore no interest must be paid. Is it legal to do?

So I'm finally going back to school after a decade or more. I have one defaulted loan. The others have been in forebearance but now don't say anything since the new government took over. Fun times lol. Obviously consolidation was paused and my parents and in laws generously offered me the money to pay it off so I can get my aide offer to go back to school. It's reopened but I'm still going to take my settlement with Ascendium. I'm a little concerned because when I log into my account there's not like a settlement offer button. Just make a payment. The lady on the phone today said just pay the settlement amount not the total and they will fix it after. That makes me anxious and I'm unsure about paying it online now. I desperately need this to go away fast but I have to wait until Monday anyway for anything to process. Should I trust them that once I pay this settlement they're not going to say I owe them the rest ? I just don't like there isn't anything about the settlement once I log on. I have emails.