Kate Wood

Even if she were to make payments during this time, so long as she is technically in deferment and does not have a payment due, that payment would not count toward PSLF.

Something that Sydney could choose to do would be to decline the loan deferment.

That way, if she's declined the deferment and she's making payments, those would count toward PSLF.

However, that would only be the case if she is not only going to school, but also maintaining at least 30 hours per week of employment with a qualified employer.

If she were to take out new loans for this new graduate program,

That's a whole other thing.

So those could also potentially qualify for PSLF if she does continue in the field of nursing or in another qualifying field.

But those new loans would be on a separate timeline from her existing loans.

So she's estimating that she has about three years of payments left on the loan she already has.

But those new loans would have their own 10-year timeline.

That would extremely affect these new loans.

So if she were to take out new loans for a new graduate program.

So based on her question, it sounds like she's in this graduate program now.

But let's say hypothetically, this is a new program that she is starting next year.

Any new loans taken out for a new degree after July 1st, 2026 would

will only have two repayment options the new version of the standard repayment plan or the repayment assistance plan which is the new income driven plan if this is a program that she's continuing so she's already been enrolled in this program already in graduate school she can continue on with the old rules for up to three years or until you finish your degree whichever shorter that means that the other income driven repayment plans

income based repayment, income contingent repayment, and pay as you earn or PAYE, those would all still be available.

But if she takes out any new loans, all of her loans would then move on to one of these new repayment options, both the existing loans and the new ones.

So if you take out additional loans, you will no longer be eligible for any of the existing income driven repayment plans.

Yes.