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Student Debt Relief and Loan Forgiveness

A single graduating student in a row of student graduates, in caps and gowns, looking at the camera

Currently, more than one in six adults in Los Angeles (16.9% of the county’s population) has student loan debt. Nearly 1.3 million student borrowers owe $54.5 million, with an average balance of $42,060.

While the Presidential Administration’s one-time debt cancellation was not passed in the Supreme Court, other major student loan relief initiatives continue - help is available!

See the information below on programs to determine if you are eligible and learn how to gain access:

  • Income-Driven Repayment (IDR): IDR plans reduce your monthly payments based on your income (as low as $0) and forgive remaining debt after 20 to 25 years.
    • To request an IDR plan, call your servicer or visit the Student Aid Federal website.
    • The Department of Education’s one-time IDR Account Adjustment will retroactively credit borrowers with time towards loan forgiveness, even if they haven’t been on an IDR plan.
       
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): PSLF allows government and nonprofit employees to have their debt canceled after 10 years of qualifying payments.
  • Fresh Start for Borrowers in Default: Fresh Start is a new program from the Department of Education to help eligible borrowers in default. If your loans are eligible, you’ll temporarily regain several student aid benefits. You’ll also get the opportunity to get out of default and keep those benefits for the long term.
     

Borrower Assistance

Get free legal assistance: Contact Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)

Get help from state officials: DFPI Student Loan Ombudspersons are a dedicated resource committed to providing information that is critical to many student loan borrowers.

Borrow Protections

A line of graduate students, in caps and gowns, holding their diplomas, which are rolled up and tied with red ribbons

Student loan borrowers have important protections in place at both the state and national levels.

Loan Discharge

There are several kinds of federal student loan discharge. “Discharge” means you are no longer required to make payments on your student loans due to certain circumstances.

  • You may be eligible for a kind of federal student loan forgiveness called Borrower Defense if you took out loans to attend a school that misled you about your likelihood of finding a job or obtaining certification or licensure in your field of study, the school’s graduation rates, earnings after graduation, or the cost of education at the school.
     
  • If your college or career school closed while you were enrolled or soon after you left school, you may qualify for a closed school discharge of your federal student loans. Other forms of discharge include Ability to Benefit Discharge, Total and Permanent Disability Discharge, and more. You may want to seek legal assistance with your loan discharge application. View the various options on the Student Loan Forgiveness fast facts page.
     

Watch out for scams!

You might be contacted by a company claiming to help you obtain a loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee. You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid.

Submit a complaint

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a portal where borrowers can submit complaints about student loan payments.

Other Resources