Want to Learn More?

Equal Justice Works provides free, online resources to help you understand the educational loan programs that are available and how you can better manage your educational debt. Whether you are a prospective or current student, or have already graduated, we can help you make more informed decisions about educational debt and paying your student loans.

You can also follow our weekly Student Loan Ranger blog, participate in our interactive educational debt relief forum and sign up for webinars with our educational debt relief experts.

Visit www.equaljusticeworks.org for more information.

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You can follow the latest in educational debt relief news by following us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EqualJusticeWorks and Twitter @EJW_org. We post weekly tips and updates under the hash tag #studentdebthelp.

Have a question? Email our Educational Debt Relief and Outreach program at debtrelief@equaljusticeworks.org.

takE CoNtroL of YoUr fUtUrEHow to Manage Your Educational Debt

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The amount of educational debt incurred by students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees is staggering – and growing every year. Student loan debt is outpacing credit card debt and tuition continues to rise faster than inflation. Educational debt has become a crippling burden for far too many, and especially for those who want to pursue careers in public service.

Fortunately, there are programs that can help you achieve your goals without drowning in debt.

Plan Before You Enter School

The best time to start thinking about your educational debt is BEFORE you take out your loans.

• Besuretoexploreallsourcesoffunding.Grantsand scholarships are funds you don’t have to repay!Grants,scholarshipsandworkstudyprograms are available from federal and state governments, your school and a multitude of organizations and associations.

• Checkoutonlineresearchtoolslikefastweb.comthat can help you find scholarships and make sure you fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can find a list of federal grants at www.ed.gov/fund/grants-apply.html.

• Ifyoudoneedtotakeoutloans,itisimportantto maximize the use of federal student loan programs. Federal loans contain borrower protectionsthatprivateloansdonot.Inaddition,there are a number of programs that can help you pay off your student loans after graduation, but only federal student loans qualify.

• Forgraduatestudents,federalGRADPlusloansshould enable you to cover the entire cost of your graduate education using federal loans. You can find out more about Federal Direct loans at www.direct.ed.gov/student.html.

What to Do after Graduation

After you graduate, there are a number of programs available that can help you manage your educational loan payments.

• Income-BasedRepayment(IBR)isarepaymentplan that limits the monthly payments on your eligible federal loans to 15 percent of your discretionary income and provides forgiveness after 25 years.

• PublicServiceLoanForgiveness(PSLF)wasdesigned to encourage careers in public service by forgiving your Federal Direct loans after you make 120 monthly payments on the right repayment plan while working at a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or in federal, state, local or Tribal government.

• LoanRepaymentAssistancePrograms(LRAPs)are available from universities, the federal and state governments, employers and private organizations such as bar associations to help eligible graduates make their monthly student loan payments.

You can find more information about all of these programs at www.equaljusticeworks.org.