Hey everyone, I recently graduated with my masters in May and I’m becoming overly anxious and have been crying almost every day as my grace period is coming to an end in November.

As I've right now, I have over $250, 000 of student loans. $68,000 being federal and the rest being private with College Ave and Sallie Mae. I know it's in my best interest not to consolidate or refinance my federal loans as I will lose any possibility of forgiveness. However, I don’t know how to approach my private loans.

I've reached out to a few loan refinance companies just to see my options. Unfortunately, my monthly payments are too much for my salary.

For context, I’m a teacher and never planned on making this my career path until then bulk of my loans were already taken out (I originally had plans to go into finance… go figure 🙄). I’m already accepting the fact that I have to get a second job to help make ends meet.

I’m wondering if anyone has any advice or suggestions of what my best option would be.

Also, I already recognize that taking private loans out was the dumbest decision of my life. I unfortunately did not have the grades in high school to get financial aid, or parents who went to school to help and inform me about my decisions.

(I'm not a big Reddit person so sorry if this is worded awfully)

Basically, my dad works at a private university as a professor, and when I was graduating high school my entire family pressured me into attending this university because my dad would be able to get me free tuition and it would cut down on my student loans. This is a school I super didn't want to go to, but it was the easy choice, so I did it, and hated it.

I recently graduated with my bfa and did FAFSA's exit counseling and I owe $37,565 as of right now. I lived on campus all four years and I did the lowest meal program the whole time. (Obviously not smart because I only lived an hour away, but after COVID my family was really serious about me getting a proper college social life, whatever.)

I expected to graduate with some student loans to cover living on campus, but $37,000 is way too much, like I owe more than some of my friends who didn't get free tuition but just had some scholarships helping them out. I cannot imagine what happened. I confronted my mom about this, and she said, "Well it's probably because I took out the max amount for the Parent Plus loans I did. But that shouldn't affect you" ????? I genuinely don't know what to do, like it clearly is affecting me?

Anyways, I came to this subreddit for advice on how to even begin figuring this shit out, like is there some kind of counselor I can talk to that can figure out where this money even went, or explain to me what the hell the Parent Plus loan even is and if my mom just sank me into a decade of debt without thinking about it. I'm not sure. I'm super overwhelmed, obviously.

Any advice helps, I'm just trying to ground myself. Thanks.

I’m 30 years old, a mom of two, and currently in my senior year of my pre-law degree. My ultimate goal has always been to become an attorney, so I’m trying to finish my bachelor’s and then move on to law school.
With the changes from the “Big Beautiful Bill” and the new limits on how much students can borrow federally, I’m genuinely wondering how other people are planning to afford school — especially those of us who don’t have the ability to just pay thousands of dollars out of pocket.
For those who have maxed out or are limited on federal aid, what are you doing to cover the remaining balance?
And if you’ve tried private student loans but were denied (or needed a cosigner and don’t have one), what options have you found? Payment plans? Scholarships? Working with the school? Taking fewer classes? Something else I’m not thinking of?
I’m especially interested in hearing from other adult students, parents, or anyone planning on graduate/professional school. I’ve worked really hard to get this close to finishing, and becoming an attorney is genuinely my dream. I don’t want finances to be the reason I have to stop.
Not looking for judgment about taking out loans — just hoping to hear what other students in similar situations are actually doing to make it work.

I got my 90-day “choose another repayment plan” notice from MOHELA on July 28th. And, there’s simply no way I can start making payments again. How long are people “holding the line” before jumping ship and choosing another plan?

I applied for the IBR plan because it calculated a monthly payment of $54.

When my plan was accepted, the monthly payment actually leaped to $340 dollars. Which I am confused about...I have about $32,000 in student debt. My AGI is $40,000.

Every calculator/simulator I use quotes me a number way less than that amount. What should I do? I tried calling them for any explanation and all Aidvantage and FSA did was basically tell me to call the other for an answer. It seems changing plans online is my only option, but not sure which I should try especially since all the quoted monthly payments are still so much lower than the $340 dollars.

Like many on here I have my loans (27k) in forbearance because I was enrolled in the save plan. My loan servicer has been messaging me to choose a new plan. Any idea if it would be beneficial to go on the RAP plan or the IBR plan? I have zero income as I am currently unemployed due to some health issues / recovery from surgery. I hope to be employed again soon in a few months. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever make a lot of money.

Which plan would be best?

Like it says, I received notification last night that my final loan payment cleared and I’m now free!

I’m going to be very honest and say I do not agree with this system at all and do not understand why education isn’t free or at least extremely cheap, but that is a discussion for a different place.

I do want to share how I did it. I work a full time job which at certain times of the year is closer to 50 to 60 hours a week (if you work in academia you’ll understand). I also have a 15-20 hour a week side hustle in a grocery store. I was able to funnel all of my grocery store paychecks directly into my loans and pay these off with my side job in about 4 years. It would have taken less time if all the lawsuits hadn’t kept me from being able to pay. I also refinanced mine with a credit union when they got down to about 5K. This had been been the plan from before whatever is going on now started. It just happened to line up really well with everything. I chose that number because it was possible to get a ten year loan with a monthly payment low enough that if everything burned to the ground I could still make the payment. On flip side with a low payment I was able to put whatever amount I made that was extra in the month towards the principal and pay them off faster.

I realize that working a second job to pay off your loans won’t work for everyone, but I do believe that with some creative thinking (and a bit of drive) it is possible to pay these things off. If you are thinking of paying them down it is possible and you can do it. It honestly looked completely impossible when I started, but I’m here now and no longer have that debt. As someone much smarter than me (my wife, if you were wondering) once said, “if you owe someone money, they own part of you and have the ability to control you.”

Since the SAVE act is no longer, I have to pick a new plan. I was trying to figure out the best plan for me and my situation. My goal is to have a lower monthly payment (yes, I know more interest and principal payments) but then throw extra money at the loans one by one when I can. Starting with the 6% interest loans and moving down to the 3% ones last.

When I was on studentaid.gov, I was comparing plans. One plan that seemed good to me was the Graduated Extended Repayment. The tool on the government website said the payments would start higher and go lower every two years. I thought these plans were the opposite, payments start low and go higher every year.

I screenshotted the tool options and chatted with someone with the government. She said yes, that is correct, but then told me to talk to my loan servicer NelNet to check. The application for this plan from the government literally says the payments start lower and increase every two years. What the hell is going on? I'm so confused.

I have about $60k in federal student loans and make about 75k/yr. I'm trying to decide between RAP and Extended Graduated Repayment.

The calculator shows Extended Graduated at $288/month initially, eventually decreasing to $195/month, with payments not tied to my income. RAP is about $323/month currently, but my understanding is that RAP payments can increase as my income increases.

My thinking is:

Choose Extended Graduated for the lower required payment and predictable payment schedule.

I have about $12k at 8% and $11k at 6.5%, so I'd put an extra $120/month toward the 8% loan and use the debt avalanche.

Once the loans above ~5% are paid off, I'd stop making extra payments and just make the required minimums.

I'd then put the extra cash into my 401(k), since I expect the long-term investment return to exceed the interest rate on the remaining lower-interest loans.

If I get a significant raise or bonus, I'd have the flexibility to either accelerate the high-interest loans or increase retirement contributions rather than having my required student loan payment automatically increase.

I realize Extended Graduated costs substantially more in interest if you actually follow the 25-year schedule ($56,875 in projected interest according to the calculator), but I don't intend to do that.

Am I overlooking something important here? Is there a reason RAP would be substantially better despite the higher/income-dependent payment?

Hi guys,

I am slightly stressed due to the student loan repayments. I moved back to Germany almost exactly one year ago, I have paid GBP 60.00 monthly until they increased it i believe beginning of the year to GBP 97.00. I'm paid 44,000 EUR and get commission pay as well. I told them I can't afford the increase so they allowed me to continue to pay 60.00 however the remaining balance will incur arrears, which need to be paid off in order to get the remainaing balance written off after the 30 years. Anyway, they sent me letters via emails almost monthly, that I should call them etc, I forgot to make payments for last couple of months, and today i received a letter that i have now the fixed payment plan of GBP 325.00 per month from October to september 2027. I uploaded my contract only when I had to submit proof of employment details a couple o weeks ago as it states either contract or 3 last payslips. Obviously they didnt accept my contract and I called student finance immediately to check as I have uploaedd proof. and he explained contract is only valid if you've been employed very recently. I have paid half of my arrears and updated now last three payslips however they include big commission around 8k for may payout etc, I made a note that the gross income is 44k tho monthly payments depend on commission, holiday pay etc. So I assume they will recalculate. I also start a new job in september where I'll be earning 62k plus commission. I've read so much now on reddit, obviously plan 2 sucks and I dont know what was in my naive 20 year old head back then, to signing this scamming variable arrangement I'm in for now for the next 25 years. I dont have enough money to pay it off all at once, i also know i will never pay it off since I only touch the interest with my payments, basically burning money. Some people decide to never pay but I will eventually return to the UK since I have to do another year there for my pension ( left uk after 9 years, 10 years is eligle for pension (silly me again!!)). I guess i only have two options? Either ignore them from this point but then forever ignoring or pay and try to tell them I dont have enough money to make monthy payments). I dont really have a question I would like to open this thread to see your experience, thoughts, approaches and hopefully I feel less like a mess :)!!

What is the smartest way I can finish my degree in special education? I just started my bachelor’s degree in special education and it will take me about 2 years, maybe a little longer because of student teaching.

I have financial aid but it doesn’t cover it all.

I currently work for my school district as a head custodian and I will continue to do so until the day I become accepted as a teacher here.

Any advice would be much appreciated, I’m working through this all, but I also support my 2 kids and I’ll have to take off work for student teaching for 4 months.

Location: Pennsylvania if it matters at all

I haven’t gotten a job yet since graduating. Won’t be bringing much in a year

Thinking of the private loan first since there’s nothing to fall back on with that, but idk

Where do I even start?

I have one private loan at $7,873 with 6.95% interest

Public loans through Edfinancial:

Grad plus loan at $5304 | 8.94% interest

Grad plus loan at $5,293 | 8.94% interest

$21,767.77 Unsubsidized Loan | 7.94% Interest

$8,518.45 Unsubsidized Loan | 8.08% Interest Rate

$8,367.40 Unsubsidized Loan | 6.53% Interest Rate

$6,330.54 Unsubsidized Loan | 5.50% Interest Rate

My mother has a parent plus loan (98k principal, 16k outstanding interest) that she has defaulted on. I just learned about the existence of this loan in July. I take responsibility for being naive about the debt my parents went into for my undergrad education, so please hold any judgment. If I could go back I simply would have chosen a different school.

I do have confirmation she consolidated the loan in 2024. To be honest I am not 100% certain all of the loans in the consolidation are mine, but my undergrad was very expensive because I went to school for 5 years in NYC and came from out of state.

Might be an important note: when my parents divorced in 2017, part of the divorce decree was for my father to pay half of all her student debt. He made a bulk payment of $122k that went towards my mother’s personal student loans, and both me and my brothers PPL. His understanding was that the remaining half was her responsibility. She is married filing jointly with my now step dad who refuses to help pay the debt as I am not his daughter. She is not asking my brother for money because he only went to college for 2 years before withdrawing, ergo my school cost more.

She is now asking me to help her pay this defaulted PPL back. I am aware it is her legal responsibility. She lives in a different state and our relationship has been strained for years.

I have my own federal student debt in my name which I am repaying at $34k. I am 31 years old, live in NYC, and do not feel prepared to take on her debt and potentially delay my financial future. I make 105k salary.

My most burning question is as follows: She is currently negotiating with DMCS for a lower rehabilitation rate. Once she rehabilitates the loan, how can I know for certain that this won’t somehow re-consolidate the loan and ruin any pathway to IDR forgiveness given the new OBBA? Once she fulfills the 10 month rehabilitation process— I will make sure she signs up for ICR, makes one payment, and moves to IBR. What possible hurdle might we be overlooking? Could new administration further block IDR for PPL borrowers or is there some simple clerical mistake that she could make to consolidate this loan again, accidentally? She is done borrowing, but if she messes with her direct non-PPL loans and consolidates those, would that ruin the IDR path for the PPL? And if she defaults again, what will happen? My understanding is you can only rehabilitate a loan once in its lifetime.

My mother has not made a payment on this loan since she consolidated it in 2024, she is a public school art teacher, 59 years old and plans to retire at 66. She has not certified any PSLF payments.

As I previously stated I just learned about this dire circumstance in July. Outside of the moral dilemma I am deeply involved in, this loan feels incredibly fragile and confusing and I am worried about her navigating the easiest path towards forgiveness/repayment.

Thank you!

Is anyone else that was previously on the SAVE plan and forced to choose a new repayment plan trying to hold off/wait until closer to the end of the 90 day period?

I am hesitant to commit due to how this is currently playing out in court, and scared to be 'locked in' to a new payment plan (as of now, I'm not but my loan servicer is emailing and calling me to secure another repayment plan option).

I'm just not sure what to do.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: thank you for all of the opinions and informative comments. I appreciate it. Since I've made this post, I went through with starting my forgiveness application process on studentloans.gov, but didn't pull the trigger yet on selecting a plan.

I keep seeing two answers to this question:

“Student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy.”

“Private student loans are ordinary debt, so bankruptcy wipes them out.”

Both answers miss the real issue.

I’m a student-loan lawyer, and I’ve handled these cases for more than a dozen years. This is general information, not legal advice or a solicitation.

Here’s the short answer: private student loans can sometimes be easier to discharge than federal loans. But “private” does not automatically mean dischargeable, and a contract labeled “student loan” does not automatically receive special protection.

Ask two questions:

1. Does 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8) protect this particular debt?
2. If it does, can the borrower prove undue hardship?

But before we get to those question, let's clear somthing up: “charged off” does not mean “discharged”

Suppose you file Chapter 7 and your private loan suddenly:

• Disappears from the servicing portal
• Shows a zero balance
• Closes on your credit report
• Appears as “charged off”
• Stops generating statements

Do not assume bankruptcy erased it.

The lender may have charged it off, transferred it, suspended servicing, or removed it from one system. The debt may reappear later, sometimes with additional interest or a new collector.

A portal balance, credit-report entry, or charge-off does not replace a court ruling.

1/ Question one: Does § 523(a)(8) protect the debt?

The Bankruptcy Code does not care only about the name on the contract. It protects specific types of educational debt.

For many private loans, two categories matter most.

The first covers a “qualified education loan.” That definition asks whether the borrower incurred the debt solely to pay qualified higher-education expenses. It looks at facts such as:

• The school’s cost of attendance
• The school’s eligibility
• The borrower’s enrollment status
• When the borrower incurred the debt
• How the borrower used the money

A loan may fall outside this category if it exceeded the school’s cost of attendance or paid for attendance at an ineligible institution.

You sometimes see these issues with loans for Caribbean schools, flight schools, truck-driving programs, unaccredited schools, and other programs that could not participate in Title IV federal aid.

You may also see them in older direct-to-consumer loans that lenders sent straight to students without meaningful school certification.

But those facts provide clues—not automatic victories.

“More than tuition” does not necessarily mean “more than cost of attendance.” Cost of attendance may include housing, books, transportation, and other approved expenses. And you generally need to examine the school’s status when the borrower took out the loan.

Why “non-qualified” may not end the case

This is the part most online explanations miss.

Even if the loan was not a qualified education loan, the creditor may invoke another part of § 523(a)(8). That provision protects certain loans made under a program funded in whole or in part by a nonprofit institution.

Older private-loan programs often involved several companies:

• An originator
• A servicer
• A nonprofit guarantor
• A trust that bought the loan
• A collector working for the current owner

Do not treat those entities as interchangeable.

This issue can appear in older Sallie Mae or Navient programs, loans involving TERI, and portfolios now claimed by National Collegiate trusts. Product names may include Tuition Answer, Signature Student Loan, MyRichUncle, or Unomics.

Those names do not decide the issue. The documents do.

A creditor may point to a nonprofit guarantor, the promissory note, or the loan-program documents and argue that a nonprofit funded the program. Courts have sometimes read nonprofit participation broadly, which can make this argument harder than people expect.

So do not stop after showing that the loan exceeded the cost of attendance.

Ask whether another part of § 523(a)(8) protects it.

2/ Question two: Can the borrower prove undue hardship?

If § 523(a)(8) protects the loan, the borrower generally must prove undue hardship.

The governing test and how courts apply it vary by jurisdiction.

Private loans also work differently from federal loans. They generally lack federal income-driven repayment plans and forgiveness programs. That does not prove undue hardship, but it changes the affordability analysis—and sometimes what the creditor will accept in settlement.

Where the adversary proceeding fits

Listing a student loan in the bankruptcy schedules does not necessarily settle the dispute.

To get a binding ruling about a particular debt, you normally file an adversary proceeding inside a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 case. An adversary proceeding is a lawsuit within the bankruptcy.

If you argue that § 523(a)(8) never covered the debt, you ask the judge to decide that classification. If the statute does cover it, you ask the judge to discharge it as an undue hardship.

The parties can exchange documents, take testimony, file motions, try the case, or settle.

Bankruptcy can help without erasing the entire loan

An adversary proceeding does not always end with a complete discharge. It may still give the borrower leverage to settle.

For example, someone who owes $100,000 might negotiate a $40,000 settlement payable over 10, 15, or 20 years, perhaps with little or no interest.

That is only an illustration—not a standard result or promise.

Read the default provisions carefully. Some agreements let the creditor restore the original balance if the borrower misses a payment.

Also check:

• Interest
• Payment term
• Credit reporting
• Tax treatment
• Acceleration
• Cosigner release

A “$40,000 settlement” is not truly a $40,000 settlement if one missed payment revives the original $100,000 debt.

Do not forget the cosigner

Your bankruptcy does not automatically release your cosigner.

Any discharge or settlement should state what happens to the cosigner. Do not assume that resolving your liability resolves theirs.

What should you gather?

Start with:

• The promissory note and application
• The school ledger and cost of attendance
• Disbursement records
• Documents identifying the lender, guarantor, servicer, and current owner
• Your income, expenses, dependents, health, and employment history

Do not assume that the company sending the bill made or owns the loan.

Bottom line

Yes, private student loans can be discharged in bankruptcy.

Some fall outside § 523(a)(8). If so, the borrower may not need to prove undue hardship. Others remain protected because they qualify under a different part of the statute.

Even when a complete discharge remains uncertain, an adversary proceeding may help the borrower negotiate a lower balance, lower interest rate, or longer payment term.

Do not ask only, “Is this a private student loan?”

Ask what part of § 523(a)(8) protects it—and what documents prove that protection.

And do not confuse a zero balance on a website with a court order.

We are done! Feels so good to not die with debt!

I just received a notice that my loans are at default, I have about 19k that racked up from 11k (I think). I am currently working at a non-prof but want to quit my job soon… I know typically it is about 9 months to get out of loan default but what can I do? I’ve been ignoring this for so long but I must take care of this before I am deeply affected

Hold on if you're still waiting. I noticed a ZERO BALANCE on all my loans yesterday when I logged into my account. No email or anything. It says “Loan forgiveness and discharge: borrowers defense completed”!

I get that this is not a one-size-fits-all question, but I'm curious particularly for those of you with large student loan balances how that has impacted your family planning? Was there a certain magic number you got down to where you felt comfortable having kids? Paid in full? Very interested to hear others thoughts/experiences with this.

My stats: 28 F with a $61k private student loan (down from $93k) and $37k in federal loans (mostly been sitting in forbearance due to all the nonsense that's been happening). I make about $80k a year, $30k in savings and about $15k (I know, it's not great but I am prioritizing loan payoff before worrying too much about retirement) in 401k. Recently married and want kids but feeling nervous to start a family until I get these paid down.

I went for my undergrad in 2009. Out of state first two years at WSU then U of I to wrap up. In 2019 I began my masters with Walden online. I wish I could upload the screenshots from FSA but can't see how. I fear I may be one of the luckier ones because any student taking loans out after 7/1/26 are no longer eligible for any IDR plan as I understand it. Meaning 0 options for any discharged assistance.

My question now... do I enroll in PAYE for the couple years it's still available until it disappears too? What happens to the principle over that time? FSA didn't show that info in the calculator.

Or do I enroll in IBR now to lock in that 65,622 principle (is that how it works?) and pay it off as fast as I can?? Thanks for the help

Current Repayment Plan — SAVE

• Repayment Plan: Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan
• Monthly Payment: $0

Total Balance: $156,466

• Interest Rates: 4.30%–7.05%

Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Repayment Plan

(no information listed on principle, total or interest??)

• Monthly Payment: $392
• Plan Ends: June 30, 2028
• The PAYE Plan will become unavailable no later than July 1, 2028.
• If enrolled in PAYE at that time, you will need to switch to a different repayment plan to continue making payments.

Repayment Assistance Plan

• Monthly Payment: $414
• Monthly payments are based on a percentage of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).
• Percentage ranges from 1% to 10%, depending on income level.
• Minimum payment: $10 per month
• Total to Be Paid: $316,864
• Principal Paid: $123,598
• Interest Paid: $193,266
• Discharge Amount: $17,124
• End of Term Date: July 2056

Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan

• Monthly Payment: $589
• Monthly payments are limited to 15% of discretionary income, depending on when you received your first loans.
• Total to Be Paid: $267,919
• Principal Paid: $65,622
• Interest Paid: $202,297
• Discharge Amount: $80,444
• End of Term Date: July 2051

Extended Graduated Repayment Plan

• Monthly Payment: $737 → $35
• Payments start high and gradually decrease every two years.
• Loans are repaid over an extended period of 25 years.
• Total to Be Paid: $307,537
• Principal Paid: $156,466
• Interest Paid: $151,071
• Discharge Amount: $0
• End of Term Date: December 2050

Graduated Repayment Plan

• Monthly Payment: $874 → $556
• Payments start high and gradually decrease every two years.
• Loans are repaid over 10 years for most loans.
• Repayment is usually longer for consolidation loans.
• Total to Be Paid: $264,885
• Principal Paid: $156,466
• Interest Paid: $108,419
• Discharge Amount: $0
• End of Term Date: August 2055

Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan

• Monthly Payment: $918
• Plan Ends: June 30, 2028
• The ICR Plan will become unavailable no later than July 1, 2028.
• If enrolled in ICR at that time, you will need to switch to a different repayment plan to continue making payments.

Extended Fixed Repayment Plan

• Monthly Payment: $984
• Allows a fixed monthly payment over an extended period of 25 years.
• Total to Be Paid: $287,509
• Principal Paid: $156,466
• Interest Paid: $131,043
• Discharge Amount: $0
• End of Term Date: February 2051

Standard Repayment Plan

• Monthly Payment: $1,373
• Fixed monthly payments are usually set at a 10-year repayment term.
• Longer terms may be possible for consolidation loans.
• Total to Be Paid: $249,033
• Principal Paid: $156,466
• Interest Paid: $92,567
• Discharge Amount: $0
• End of Term Date: December 2055

Tiered Standard Plan

• Status: Ineligible