Student Loan Planner Is Student Loan Forgiveness Dead?
Mar 31, 2026
A deep look at looming changes to federal loan rules and what new borrowing caps could mean for grad and professional students. Discussion of whether forgiveness programs will survive political shifts and processing backlogs. Practical scenarios on recertifying income during residency and how married filing choices can alter repayment under IDR.
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Try Waiving In-School Deferment During Residency
- Try to waive in-school deferment to get income-driven repayment credit during residency, but expect servicers to resist the request.
- Travis notes waivers are possible but uncommon because servicers often treat residency cases as 'weird' and push back.
Don't Count On Retroactive SAVE Interest Relief
- Don't expect retroactive SAVE interest subsidies for interest that accrued during the 2025–2026 forbearance period.
- The Eighth Circuit reversed the lower court, making retroactive subsidies extremely unlikely per Travis.
Don't Rely On PSLF Buyback Timing
- Expect PSLF buyback approvals to take well over a year and avoid relying on buyback timing for job changes.
- Regular PSLF discharges (120 qualifying payments without buyback) are processing in a few months, but buyback is very slow.