Student Loan Debt Options

Manage Your Student Loan Debt

 

Unfortunately, many student loan borrowers don’t have a financial action plan in place. After graduation when graduates seek to start a career, raise a family, buy a home, launch a business and/or save for retirement, debt can leave them feeling overwhelmed, burdened and out of options.

Feeling like this doesn’t have to be your reality — you DO have options to overcome federal student loan debt and our financial coaches can help.  

With initiatives recognized by the White House and US Department of Education, HCC Financial Coaches:  

  • Help you get on track by developing action plan to budget, monitor spending habits and save money.
  • Host workshops and one-on-one financial coaching sessions to help borrowers understand federal student loan repayment options.
  • Have Student Loan Debt video series (above) that breaks down all your repayment options.
  • Share resources that help you tackle student loan debt and avoid repayment scams.  

*The president signed the CARES Act into law, which, among other things, provides relief for federal student loan borrowers. For details about how the CARES Act impacts federal student loan repayment, defaulted loans, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), read our latest updates from Federal Student Aid by clicking here.

Take Charge of your Student Loan Debt

3-Steps to Take Charge of your Student Loan Debt

Step 1. Pick the right repayment option at StudentLoans.gov/repay.

Step 2. Consider your repayment options, including enrolling in an income-based repayment plan. You can enroll in an income-based repayment plan at StudentLoans.gov.

Step 3. Confirm if your fulltime (30+ hours) nonprofit or public service employment qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The Employment Certification Form can be found at StudentAid.gov/publicservice.

What else you can do:

  • Certify income and family size each year. This is required to see if you qualify to keep payments low.
  • Certify employment each year. This is the best way to be sure that you are on-track for loan repayment and loan forgiveness.
  • Ask for help from your loan servicer if you need additional support. Contact information for your loan servicer is posted at StudentAid.gov/servicer. 

 

Resources to Get Informed and Make a Plan

My Federal Student Aid

Borrowers can log in at www.studentAid.gov/login to view their federal student loan information, including loan balances, interest rates and loan servicer contact information.

Repayment Calculator

Borrowers can use Estimator tool at www.StudentAid.gov/repayment-estimator  to compare different monthly payment options based on their loan debt, income and family size. 

Repayment Basics

By visiting www.studentAid.gov/repay, borrowers can learn how to make payments on their loans; find the right repayment plan; figure out what to do if they can’t afford their payments; and see what circumstances might result in a loan being forgiven, canceled or discharged.

HCC Financial Coaches

Many borrowers don’t have a financial action plan in place. HCC Financial Coaches help you get on track by connecting you with resources to create an action plan to budget, monitor spending habits and save money. The coaches are also committed to informing students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members about public service loan forgiveness and affordable, income-based federal student loan repayment options. Feel free to reach out to the coaching team, by email at hcc.fincoach@hccs.edu. 

 

Beware of Student Loan Scams

As you’re researching repayment and forgiveness options, make sure you’re getting information from trusted sources, like .gov websites or your servicer’s website. The government and your servicer will never charge application or maintenance fees — so if you’re asked to pay, walk away.  

Types of Student Loan Scams

There are a variety of different ways that scammers could take advantage of borrowers. Here is a short list from the Department of Education.

  • Require you to pay up-front or monthly fees for help.
  • Promise immediate and total loan forgiveness or cancellation. 
  • Ask for your FSA ID. 
  • Ask you to sign and submit a third-party authorization form or a power of attorney. 
  • Claim that their offer is limited and encourage you to act immediately. 
  • Communications contain spelling and grammatical errors. 


Resources

  • If you receive a letter in the mail, an email, or a phone call from a student loan debt relief company who does any of things listed above, please contact your student loan servicer to confirm the validity of their services. Contact information for your loan servicer is posted at www.StudentAid.gov/servicer. 
  • The Department of Education also has a comprehensive resource to help you understand which companies and claims are legitimate. Please visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/avoiding-loan-scams for more information.

 

Contact Financial Coaches

Central College

 

Coleman College

 

Northeast College Campuses (Northline and Northeast)

 

Northwest College Campuses (Alief, Spring Branch and Katy)

 

Stafford and Missouri City Campuses

 

Southeast College

 

West Loop

 

Resources

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