The Summer Newsroom

If you're starting this new decade with student debt, you're not alone. In fact, the student debt crisis is impacting over 45 million Americans today, including myself and other members of the Summer team. I sat down with my colleague,...

Confused by the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) process? Don’t worry! We’re here to help clarify how changes in your income affect how much of your student debt would be forgiven under PSLF. First, let’s start by quickly reviewing the...

Overview Many parents take out federal Parent PLUS loans to help pay for their children’s higher education. While the repayment plans available to borrowers with Parent PLUS loans are more limited compared to borrowers with other loan types, there are...

Jamie, a recent Tufts graduate, wanted to pursue a career where she could focus on improving agriculture and food systems. Unfortunately, the specialized education required for that career came with a hefty price tag: $109,227.65 in student debt. Jamie developed...

“Alienating,” says Susan. She’s been asked to summarize her experience living with student loan debt as a young, queer woman. She hesitates, and then adds, “And frustrating.” Life with student loan debt is especially alienating for Susan because she’s an...

Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans are government programs available to federal student loan borrowers that allow borrowers to tie their monthly student loan payments directly to their income. In other words, the lower your income, the lower your monthly payments (possibly...

Borrowers are struggling to pay back their student loans now more than ever before. Last year, one million people defaulted on their student loans, and it’s projected that 2 in 5 borrowers will default by 2023. There’s a lot of...

Loan Basics 101 Time to learn a few key ideas that’ll help you through the rest of the process. Let’s start at the beginning. What is a loan? Simple question, right? Not always. A loan is money you borrowed from...

Overview Imagine all your debt were gone—totally off your back forever. Sounds good, right? Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) could get you there, but you'll need to meet a few requirements to make it happen. Let's go over the basics...