School of Education faculty member Nicholas Hillman was recently featured in Newsweek discussing the implications of federal student loan policy changes.
Hillman is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and leads the Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab, which is housed in the Office of Student Financial Aid.
The article explores how the Trump administration plans to resume interest charges on federal student loans beginning Aug. 1 — affecting nearly 8 million borrowers who had previously received interest-free forbearance under the Biden administration’s SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) Plan.
“Due to ongoing litigation, SAVE borrowers do not yet know when their administrative forbearance will end and payments will resume,” Hillman told Newsweek. “All they can be certain of is their interest will now start to accrue, and that’s cold comfort for borrowers who have—for no fault of their own—been stuck in administrative forbearance.”
Hillman also explained the logistical strain of resuming repayment operations, noting: “The process of turning the student loan repayment system ‘on’ is much harder for the federal government and for borrowers than it is to turn it ‘off.’ Because of this challenge, I fully anticipate the transition back into good standing—making on-time payments and paying down loans—will continue to vex the entire loan repayment system and especially SAVE.”
Hillman’s research at the SSTAR Lab focuses on higher education finance, public policy, and strategies to improve student outcomes. He has been a consistent voice in national conversations on student loan reform, emphasizing the real-world impact of policy uncertainty on borrowers.
Read the full article on Newsweek.