The Department’s Communication Regarding the Costs of Income-Driven Repayment Plans and Loan Forgiveness Programs

We found that the Department should have enhanced its communications regarding cost information related to the Federal student loan programs’ income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and loan forgiveness programs to make it more informative and easier to understand. Specifically, the Department could have provided more detailed information on specific IDR plans, such as Pay as You Earn and Revised Pay as You Earn, and its loan forgiveness programs to fully inform decision makers and the public (including advocacy groups) about current and future program management and financial implications of these plans and programs. Decision makers and others may not be aware of the growth in the participation in these IDR plans and loan forgiveness programs and the resulting additional costs. They also may not be aware of the risk that, for future loan cohorts, the Federal government and taxpayers may lend more money overall than is repaid from borrowers.