On April 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced an initiative—called “Fresh Start”—to help eligible borrowers in default.
Fresh Start will continue through one year after the COVID-19 payment pause ends. If your loans are eligible, you’ll temporarily regain federal aid eligibility and have the opportunity to get out of default. Click here for more information.
For borrowers who defaulted before March 30, 2020, the Fresh Start initiative restores Title IV aid eligibility for borrowers with loans in the following categories that defaulted prior to the start of the student loan repayment:
- William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program loans (Direct Loans)
- Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, including Federal Insured Student Loans (FISL); and
- Federal Perkins Loans (Perkins Loans) that are serviced by the Department's Debt Management and Collections System (DMCS)
ACTION: Please complete the following Fresh Start Initiative attestation form and submit it to support@relay.edu.
- The SFS team is currently in review of students with defaulted loans and will actively reach out if you may qualify for the Fresh Start initiative
- If you actively complete the form and submit it, SFS will review your current loans and notify you of your Fresh Start reinstatement status