Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Federal student loan payments have restarted. More than a third of borrowers missed the first one.

Dec 28, 2023
Many borrowers need to reorganize their budgets. Disruptions in the loan servicing industry haven't helped.
Among the challenges for those restarting payments, many are working with new loan servicers.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for We The 45 Million

As student loan payments restart, borrowers feel the pinch. The economy might too.

Oct 2, 2023
Obligations resuming after three years could be a rude awakening for some. But by itself, it's not likely to start a recession, experts say.
The return of student loan obligations probably won’t tip us into a recession, but millions of Americans will feel the financial pinch, said Shannon Seery of Wells Fargo.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Which student loan relief plan makes the most sense for you?

Sep 20, 2023
There are still options for borrowers, despite the defeat of Biden’s cancellation plan. The new SAVE repayment plan is one of them.
While the Biden administration wasn't able to strike down $20,000 in student loan debt, one change it's pushing is a reformed repayment plan.
zimmytws/Getty Images

Older people also face student loan debt burden with payments looming

Much attention is paid to younger borrowers, and rightfully so. But some 3.5 million Americans 60 and older hold substantial debt.
zimmytws/Getty Images

Some Republicans are exploring a new position on student loan debt

Jul 31, 2023
The proposal bucks the party's usual laissez-faire approach.
To have your student loan debt discharged by a judge, one must prove it’s causing them “undue hardship."
Eros Hoagland/Getty Images

Are Americans ready to start paying student loans again?

Jul 24, 2023
Student loan payments will resume this fall, but a new study from TransUnion shows that many people have taken on new debt in the meantime.
More than 40 million people have federal student loans, and payments will resume this fall after a multiyear hiatus.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

With student loan forgiveness program struck down, borrowers brace for impact

Jul 3, 2023
Some of those who owe the least could be among the most affected.
Protestors demonstrate in front of the White House after the Supreme Court struck down Biden's student debt forgiveness plan.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Biden student loan plan would let borrowers pay less, get forgiveness faster

Jan 10, 2023
People who borrowed less than $12,000 for undergrad schooling could have debt forgiven after making regular payments for a decade.
Under the regulations, people who borrowed less than $12,000 for their undergraduate education could receive debt forgiveness after making regular payments for a decade.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

It just got easier to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy

Nov 18, 2022
In the past, not even one student borrower in 100 who declared bankruptcy had student loans discharged.
Unlike other forms of debt, student loans don’t automatically get wiped clean in bankruptcy.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images