How do I know if my student loan is federal?
It says “Direct”
If you're notified that you're eligible for forgiveness, loan repayment will be paused until the discharge is processed, the Department of Education says. Your loan servicer should let you know when your student loan debt is discharged.
The financial aid office at the college or career school you will attend will determine how much financial aid you're eligible to receive. Your eligibility depends on your Expected Family Contribution, year in school, enrollment status, and the cost of attendance at the school you'll be attending.
You can log in to StudentAid.gov to see if you received a Pell Grant. We display information about the aid you received, including Pell Grants, on your account Dashboard and My Aid page. This information can be delayed. Reach out to your school's financial aid office if your information is outdated.
- Federal student loans and federal parent loans: These loans are funded by the federal government.
- Private student loans: These loans are nonfederal loans, made by a lender such as a bank, credit union, state agency, or a school.
You're not eligible for federal student loan forgiveness programs if you have private loans, but there are other strategies for managing private loan debt.
Loan forgiveness does not remove accounts from a credit report. Instead, the loans will be paid in full, and a borrower's debt-to-income (DTI) ratio will improve.
The overall average EFC is about $10,000, with an average of about $6,000 for students at community colleges and $14,000 at 4-year colleges. Slightly more than half of students have an EFC of $2,500 or less. Slightly more than 10% have an EFC greater than $25,000.
The bottom line. While your credit score will not be a factor when applying for most federal student loans, private lenders consider credit history as part of the application process. If you hope to obtain a private student loan and have less-than-ideal credit, consider finding a cosigner with a better credit profile.
What does an EFC of 4000 mean? Your EFC is a dollar amount. If your EFC was 4,000 and your college costs are estimated to be only $4,000, you would not be eligible for any need-based aid.
How do I know how much financial aid I will receive?
You can use the online FAFSA form to calculate your estimated EFC. The estimated EFC appears on the confirmation page when you complete and submit your form. After your application is fully processed, you'll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) with your official EFC.
What is Sallie Mae? Sallie Mae is a company that currently offers private student loans but it has gone through several shifts. In 1972, Congress created the Student Loan Marketing Association (SLMA) as a private, for-profit corporation.
- Go to fafsa.gov.
- Select “Start or Edit a 2023–24 FAFSA Form.”
- Enter your account username and password (FSA ID).
- Select the student role on the “Roles” page.
- Select “View Student Aid Report (SAR)” from the “My FAFSA” page.
- Direct subsidized loans.
- Direct unsubsidized loans.
- Direct PLUS loans.
- Direct consolidation loans.
Direct Subsidized Loans made to eligible undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need to help cover the costs of higher education at a college or career school. Direct Unsubsidized Loans made to eligible undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, but eligibility is not based upon financial need.
In order for your loan to disburse, review all Unsatisfied Disbursem*nt Requirements and complete all necessary items. If you are accepting loans for the first time, you will need to complete your Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note on www.studentloans.gov.
Get details about one-time student loan debt relief >
To receive notifications about the process, sign up at the Department of Education subscription page. You'll have until Dec. 31, 2023 to apply.
Today's announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $153 billion for nearly 4.3 million Americans. Thanks to this Administration's efforts one out of every 10 Federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for some debt relief.
If we determine that you're not eligible for loan forgiveness at this time, you'll be notified and will be provided with the reason(s) we determined you were ineligible. You'll then be required to resume making payments on your loans. Learn more about PSLF eligibility.
As long as your loans were in good standing at the time they were discharged and your accounts are being reported properly to the credit reporting bureaus, you won't see a huge difference in your score. On the other hand, you could see your score drop if your account wasn't in good standing prior to the discharge.
Why do my student loans say paid in full?
You may notice your former servicer has cleared your loan account. For example, your loan balance may come up as “paid in full” on your former servicer's website or on your credit report. This does not mean you've received loan forgiveness. This is part of the loan transfer process.
A paid-off loan shows lenders you were able to manage the debt responsibly. If you always made your student loan payments on time, the accounts will remain on your credit report for up to 10 years from the date they were paid off and closed. This helps you get credit for your positive payment history.
There could be several reasons why your EFC is high with a low income. If your family has a high number of investments or other assets, this could skew your EFC. It is also possible that you made a mistake on the application.
If your income is below $49,999, your family qualifies for a simplified needs test. This means both the parent's and student's assets are not counted in the EFC calculation, and may lead to a 00000 EFC result.
A good EFC for each family will depend on their individual circ*mstances. In most cases, the lower the EFC, the better, since that typically corresponds to more financial aid. An EFC of 0 means the student and their family are expected to make no financial contribution of their own to college costs.
References
- https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/have-i-ever-received-pell-grant
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/transfer-private-student-loans-federal
- https://www.credit.com/blog/what-is-609/
- https://brainly.com/question/27389401
- https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/review-and-correct/sar-student-aid-report
- https://financialaid.ucla.edu/file/20139789-9068-437f-a457-011612f419e6
- https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/updating-an-account-to-show-paid-in-full/
- https://www.tateesq.com/learn/how-consolidate-student-loans-with-navient
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/federal-vs-private-student-loans/
- https://money.usnews.com/loans/student-loans/articles/can-i-transfer-my-student-loans-to-another-lender
- https://smartasset.com/student-loans/how-does-student-loan-forgiveness-affect-your-finances
- https://www.chase.com/personal/education/student/paying-for-college/benefits-federal-student-loans
- https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/what-types-of-federal-student-loans-available
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/student-loan-forgiveness
- https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-are-private-student-loans-en-2136/
- https://www.creditstrong.com/how-to-raise-credit-score-by-200-points/
- https://lendedu.com/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-navient-student-loans/
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/repay-student-debt/private-student-loans/
- https://scholarships360.org/financial-aid/what-does-my-fafsa-efc-number-mean/
- https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/loans/articles/-/learn/do-student-loans-affect-credit-scores/
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/student-loan-forgiveness/
- https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-is-a-609-dispute-letter/
- https://money.usnews.com/loans/student-loans/articles/private-student-loan-forgiveness-options
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/private-student-loan-forgiveness-options/
- https://www.salliemae.com/college-planning/student-loans-and-borrowing/compare-federal-vs-private-loans/federal-student-loans/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/101014/disadvantages-stafford-loans.asp
- https://www.tateesq.com/learn/defaulted-student-loans-not-on-credit-report
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/expected-family-contribution/
- https://brainly.com/question/31923379
- https://financialaid.richmond.edu/bwloans.pdf
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/types-of-student-loans/
- https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/understanding-federal-student-loan-types
- https://money.com/benefits-of-federal-student-loans-vs-private-student-loans/
- https://www.cnbc.com/select/student-loan-forgiveness-see-if-you-qualify/
- https://www.creditkarma.com/credit/i/credit-score-drop
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/refinancing-private-student-loans-to-federal/
- https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/articles/-/learn/why-credit-scores-may-drop-after-paying-off-debt/
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/never-pay-student-loans/
- https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/federal-vs-private
- https://www.road2college.com/what-does-an-efc-of-00000-mean/
- https://studentaid.psu.edu/types-of-aid/loans/comparing-federal-and-private-student-loans
- https://www.tateesq.com/learn/do-i-qualify-for-the-navient-lawsuit-settlement
- https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/what-happens-if-my-pslf-app-is-denied
- https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/check-online-idr-forgiveness-eligible
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/get-collections-off-credit-report
- https://bold.org/blog/what-happens-if-you-dont-pay-student-loans/
- https://navient.com/loan-servicing/private-student-loans/
- https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/loans/articles/-/learn/refinancing-private-student-loans/
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/types-of-private-student-loans/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-private-student-loan-benefits-borrowers-should-know/
- https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-additional-74-billion-approved-student-debt-relief-277000-borrowers
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/private-student-loan-requirements/
- https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article278038523.html
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/what-happens-next-if-student-loans-are-forgiven-2
- https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/slideshows/10-advantages-of-federal-student-loans
- https://www.mohela.com/DL/resourceCenter/OptionsToPreventDefault.aspx
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/financial-aid-vs-student-loans/
- https://www.edvisors.com/student-loans/federal-student-loans/loan-limits/
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/should-i-consolidate-refinance-student-loans-en-561/
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/credit-score-for-student-loans/
- https://www.salliemae.com/college-planning/student-loans-and-borrowing/compare-federal-vs-private-loans/
- https://www.thebalancemoney.com/understanding-the-efc-794970
- https://studentaid.gov/help/estimate-efc
- https://www.appily.com/guidance/articles/paying-for-college/pros-and-cons-of-private-student-loans
- https://finaid.org/loans/privateconsolidation/
- https://www.lendingtree.com/student/transfer-private-to-federal-student-loans/
- https://brainly.com/question/32173528
- https://www.edvisors.com/student-loans/private-student-loans/pros-and-cons-of-private-student-loans/
- https://www.lendingtree.com/student/student-loan-debt-statistics/
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-private-debt-and-public-debt/
- https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates
- https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/is-my-loan-federal-or-private
- https://www.investopedia.com/forgiven-student-loans-on-credit-reports-7371496
- https://www.credible.com/refinance-student-loans/sallie-mae-loan-forgiveness
- https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement
- https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/will-my-credit-score-increase-now-that-i-paid-off-my-student-loans/
- https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized
- https://www.ptla.org/how-do-i-know-what-kind-loan-i-have
- https://students-residents.aamc.org/financial-aid-resources/federal-vs-private-education-loans
- https://money.com/get-items-removed-from-credit-report/
- https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/will-paying-off-student-loans-hurt-my-credit-score/
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/sallie-mae-federal-or-private/
- https://quizlet.com/314488174/english-325-capansky-student-loans-flash-cards/
- https://www.salliemae.com/student-loans/manage-your-private-student-loan/get-help-with-special-circumstance/payment-difficulties/
- https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/pros-cons-private-student-loans/
- https://www.quora.com/Why-does-my-student-loan-balance-doesn-t-decrease-by-much-after-I-have-been-making-payment-for-over-5-years
- https://www.investopedia.com/800-plus-credit-score-how-to-make-the-most-of-it-4685008
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/09/private-or-federal-student-loans.asp
- https://www.credible.com/student-loans/private-student-loan-forgiveness
- https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/who-decides-how-much-federal-student-aid-i-will-get
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/removing-student-loans-from-credit-report/
- https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-approves-12-billion-loan-forgiveness-over-150000-save-plan-borrowers
- https://upsolve.org/learn/direct-indirect-ffel-student-loans/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/how-to-know-if-student-loans-are-federal
- https://www.tateesq.com/learn/navient-student-loan-forgiveness
- https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/benefits-of-student-loans/
- https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/what-is-the-expected-family-contribution-efc
- https://studentaid.gov/articles/your-loan-was-transferred-whats-next/