Repayment & Forgiveness

RAP is the new 2026 federal student loan repayment plan. Learn how payments are calculated, who qualifies, and how its interest, principal-reduction and forgiveness benefits work.

One of the biggest misconceptions about bankruptcy is that every loan connected to education requires the borrower to prove undue hardship. That is not necessarily true. The first question is whether the particular debt falls within Bankruptcy Code § 523(a)(8). If it does not, the borrower may not have to prove undue hardship at all. Why This Distinction Matters Many unsecured debts are ordinarily discharged in bankruptcy. Certain education debts are treated differently becau

Student loan consolidation is often presented as a simple way to simplify repayment. In reality, consolidation can significantly change the structure of a borrower’s federal student loans. While consolidation can be useful in certain situations, it may also create unintended consequences if borrowers do not understand how the process affects repayment timelines, forgiveness eligibility, and loan history. Understanding the potential traps of consolidation is important before m

Many federal student loan borrowers are told that forgiveness occurs only after 20 or 25 years of repayment. That timeline comes from the structure of income-driven repayment plans, which calculate monthly payments based on income. But this long repayment timeline is not the only way student loans can be resolved. Federal law contains several different programs that may allow borrowers to eliminate student loan debt much sooner, depending on their circumstances. Understanding