Author: Sarah Brady, NFCC Updated: August 12, 2026 Main Facts: The Current Student Loan Landscape As millions of Americans brace for the resumption or escalation of their monthly student loan obligations, financial stress is reaching a fever pitch across the country. The reality of managing these massive debts while juggling the rising cost of everyday…
Despite the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program officially ending in July 2010, its legacy continues to cast a long shadow over the American higher education landscape. As of the third quarter of 2026, approximately 6.42 million borrowers still carry a collective $157 billion in FFEL student loan debt. For millions of households, these older…
By Sarah Brady, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Updated: August 12, 2026 Main Facts As the financial landscape shifts in 2026, millions of Americans are staring down a daunting reality: student loan payments are either rising steeply or resuming after periods of relief. For a vast segment of the population, these financial obligations trigger…
By Financial Policy Desk Updated for 2026 Thousands of public service workers across the United States find themselves caught in a frustrating administrative limbo. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback program—designed as a lifeline for borrowers seeking to retroactively claim months spent in past deferment or forbearance—is currently buckling under severe processing delays. With…
Author: Sarah Brady, NFCC Updated: July 10, 2026 Main Facts Navigating the landscape of federal student loan forgiveness can feel overwhelming. Following years of sweeping policy shifts, high-profile court battles, and conflicting headlines, many borrowers have grown fatigued, sometimes assuming that debt relief options no longer exist. However, federal loan forgiveness remains very much a…
Author: Sarah Brady, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Updated: August 12, 2026 Introduction: The Mounting Pressure of Resuming Student Debt For millions of Americans, the return of student loan billing cycles or sudden payment increases has triggered profound financial anxiety. The modern landscape of higher education financing is fraught with complex repayment structures, changing…
Federal student loan borrowers are being handed a rare opportunity to significantly lower the interest rates on their government-backed debt. For a limited window, the U.S. Department of Education is quadrupling its standard autopay interest rate reduction from 0.25% to a full 1%. While the initiative is designed to curb rising default rates and provide…
By Sarah Brady, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Updated: July 10, 2026 Main Facts: The Current Landscape of Federal Student Loan Relief Navigating the landscape of federal student loans over the past few years has been a formidable challenge for millions of Americans. Plagued by shifting political climates, legal injunctions, and conflicting public announcements,…
Main Facts: Understanding MOHELA and the $1.7 Trillion Federal Debt Portfolio The Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) sits at the center of the United States’ massive student loan infrastructure. As one of the principal federal student loan servicers contracted by the U.S. Department of Education, MOHELA oversees a substantial portion of the nation’s $1.7…
Author: Sarah Brady, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Updated: August 12, 2026 For millions of Americans, the return of student loan obligations or sudden payment increases has triggered a wave of financial anxiety. As household budgets stretch to accommodate the rising costs of housing, groceries, and everyday essentials, absorbing a reinstated student loan bill…
