Master the Basics of Student Loan Repayment
Check out below helpful tips on how to start repayment鈥揵eginning with identifying your loan servicer to understanding your monthly loan payment and due date.
Student Loan Repayment Success Tips:
- Keep Your Info Updated: Log into听听using your username and password to confirm your contact information is current so you don鈥檛 miss current updates.听
- Know Your Loan Status: Check your loan details and balance regularly on your听听or your loan servicer鈥檚 website to avoid delinquency or default.
- Explore Repayment Options: Use the听听to find the best repayment plan option that fits your budget, or visit听听to learn more about repayment plans.听
- Visit your听听for helpful resources and guidance.
- Pay your loans online through your servicer鈥檚 website.听Tip: Set up autopay for hassle-free, on-time payments.
- 贰虫辫濒辞谤别听听that may be available to you.
You have options for managing your student loans. If you need help, reach out to your loan servicer for assistance with payments, repayment plans, or loan forgiveness.
- Email or chat听with your听听for personalized support.
- Contact the听 听for help with your StudentAid.gov account.
Income Driven Repayment (IDR) Plan and Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan
Some changes are taking place with the IDR Plan and SAVE Plan. To learn more, visit听
Avoiding Student Loan Scams
Unfortunately, potential student loan scams are on the rise. Be aware of student aid scams and use these tips below to avoid these scams.
Play It Safe: Protect Yourself from Student Loan Scams
Here is how you can spot a scam from a student loan debt relief company:
- They ask for your FSA ID username and password.
- They want you to pay up-front costs or monthly fees.
- They promise instant and complete loan cancellation or loan forgiveness.
- They ask for you to sign and submit a third-party authorization or power of attorney.
- They want you to act right away and claim that their offer is limited.
- Any messages from them have spelling and grammatical errors.
If you are still unsure that it is a scam, visit the 听for more tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact your federal loan servicer to end any power of attorney or third-party authorization agreement. Also, make sure no unwanted changes were made on your loans.
Contact your bank or credit card company, and request that payments to the debt relief company be discontinued.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
File a report of suspicious activity through Student Aid鈥檚 Feedback Center.
Most importantly, log in to your FSA account and change your password.
Repayment Plans
The Direct Loan Program offers loan repayment plans designed to meet the needs of almost every borrower. Direct Loans are funded by the U.S. Department of Education through your school and are managed by the Direct Loan Servicing Center, under the supervision of the Department. The Direct Loan Program allows you to choose your repayment plan and to switch your plan if your needs change. To view all repayment options, please visit
Strategies for Resolving Delinquency and Default on Your Student Loans
Top 7 Student Loan Tips for Recent Graduates
- Know what you owe.听Monitor every detail about your Federal Stafford loans by going to the听. Keep records of your total loan amounts, the amount of your total monthly payments and know when your grace periods end.
- Stay in touch with your lender.听Keep in touch with your lenders and don鈥檛 stop making your monthly payments without first discussing your situation with your lender. If you find you are unable to make payments due to unemployment, economic hardship, health problems, or other personal situations consult with your lender to find out what options are available to you. Federal student loan repayments can be temporarily postponed through deferment and forbearance. Failing to pay your student loans can have severe consequences that can last throughout your lifetime. Not paying your student loans could affect you credit rating and your ability to borrow money for other purposes, such as purchasing a car or a home.
- Pick the right repayment option for you.听.
- Research consolidating your federal student loans.听Consolidation allows a borrower to combine multiple federal student loans into one loan and one monthly payment. Most federal student loans are eligible for consolidation including Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized and FFEL Stafford loans, Graduate Direct PLUS loans, and Perkins loans. Consider the impact of losing any borrower benefits offered under repayment for the original loans. Learn more about听.
- Make additional payments toward the principal loan balance, if you are in a position to do so.听Paying a small amount additional each month to be applied to the principal balance will significantly reduce the total amount of interest that you pay. You must include a written request that you want the additional amount applied to the principal loan balance, otherwise your lender will apply it to a future payment.
- Consider the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.听Public Service Loan Forgiveness was created as an incentive to graduates to encourage them to enter into public service jobs. After you have made 120 payments on loans under certain repayment plans while employed as a public servant, you may qualify to have your remaining loan balance forgiven. Learn more about听Loan Forgiveness.