Debt Mindset Series: It's Time to Say Goodbye to Sallie Mae - My Debt Epiphany (2024)

FAQs

Will my student loan debt go away? ›

If you work full time for a government or nonprofit organization, you may qualify for forgiveness of the entire remaining balance of your Direct Loans after you've made 120 qualifying payments—i.e., 10 years of payments. To benefit from PSLF, you need to repay your federal student loans under an IDR plan.

Today's announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $167 billion for 4.75 million Americans. Thanks to this Administration's efforts more than one out of every 10 federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for some debt relief.

Student borrowers are in crisis due in part to a rise in average debt and a decline in average wage values. A significant portion of indebted college graduates and non-graduate borrowers do not have sufficient income to pay their debts. As unpaid debts continue to accrue interest, repayment becomes less likely.

Your student loan servicer(s) will notify you directly after your forgiveness is processed. Make sure to keep your contact information up to date on StudentAid.gov and with your servicer(s). If you haven't yet qualified for forgiveness, you'll be able to see your exact payment counts in the future.

Delinquency and default

Delinquency occurs when you fail to pay all or part of your monthly student loan payment. You may be charged late fees for delinquency, which can add to your Total Loan Cost. You may lose any interest rate reduction programs you were eligible for.

If you default on your student loan, that status will be reported to national credit reporting agencies. This reporting may damage your credit rating and future borrowing ability. Also, the government can collect on your loans by taking funds from your wages, tax refunds, and other government payments.

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration's SAVE plan, starting today, the Administration will be cancelling debt for borrowers who are enrolled in the SAVE plan, have been in repayment for at least 10 years and took out $12,000 or less in loans for college.

Statement from President Joe Biden on $6.1 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 317,000 Borrowers who Attended the Art Institutes. Today, my Administration is approving $6.1 billion in student debt cancellation for 317,000 borrowers who attended the Art Institutes.

Key takeaways. Paying off student loans early can benefit you financially, but it should typically come second to building your emergency fund and retirement savings. People with private student loans or without other debt tend to benefit more from paying off student loans early.

In December 2007, a class action lawsuit was brought against Sallie Mae in a Connecticut federal court alleging that the company discriminated against African American and Hispanic private student loan applicants by charging them high interest rates and fees.

Who suffers the most from student debt? ›

Black and African American student borrowers are the most likely to struggle financially due to student loan debt making monthly payments of $260. Asian college graduates are the fastest to repay their loan debt and the most likely to earn a higher salary to help pay for student loan debt.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program forgives the remaining balance on your federal student loans after 120 payments working full time for federal, state, Tribal, or local government; the military; or a qualifying non-profit. Learn more about PSLF and apply.

All new Sallie Mae loans are private. But if you took out a Sallie Mae loan before 2014, it might have been a federal loan and is likely now managed by another servicer. Sallie Mae started off under the federal government and provided loans through the Federal Family Education Loan Program, or FFELP.

Private student loans are only forgiven when the borrower becomes permanently disabled or dies. Your relief options will depend on your lender and loan agreement. Contact your lender and discuss your financial situation before defaulting on your student loans.

You may be eligible for income-driven repayment (IDR) loan forgiveness if you've have been in repayment for 20 or 25 years. An IDR plan bases your monthly payment on your income and family size.

Both federal and private student loans fall off your credit report about seven years after your last payment or date of default. You default after nine months of nonpayment for federal student loans, and you're not in deferment or forbearance.

In certain situations, you can have your federal student loans forgiven, canceled, or discharged. That means you won't have to pay back some or all of your loan(s). The terms “forgiveness,” “cancellation,” and “discharge” mean essentially the same thing.

There is no specific age when students get their loans written off in the United States, but federal undergraduate loans are forgiven after 20 years, and federal graduate school loans are forgiven after 25 years.

The default is reported to credit bureaus, damaging your credit rating and affecting your ability to buy a car or house or to get a credit card. It may take years to reestablish a good credit record. You may not be able to purchase or sell assets such as real estate.