If you have federal student loans, you may be overwhelmed and confused by the barrage of announcements and information coming your way.
On July 1, 2026, the Education Department started rolling out major changes to the federal student loan repayment system.
Two massive shifts are happening at once: the repayment changes made in the 2025 reconciliation law go into effect, and the millions of borrowers still enrolled in the SAVE Plan will start receiving official notices of the date by which they must enroll in another plan.
Below, we outline what we know, what we don’t, and some trusted resources to reference if you have more questions or need help. If you need individualized advice about your student loans, please contact your loan servicer or reach out to one of the other resources listed below. TICAS is unable to offer individualized advice to borrowers.
Have a student loan story to share with decision makers? Share it with us below via our Class Dismissed Campaign.
