New features and resources help veterinary colleagues navigate significant changes in student loan repayment options
The VIN Foundation announces multiple updates to the critically acclaimed Student Loan Repayment Simulator. The VIN Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, providing tools and resources to support pre-veterinary students, veterinary students, and veterinarians throughout their careers.
Listen to the recent podcast episode on the latest student loan changes:
The US Department of Education recently proposed the phase out of the Pay as you Earn (PAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) repayment plans and modifications to the Revised PAYE (REPAYE). In an effort to help veterinarians with student loans understand the potentially sweeping ramifications of these proposed changes, the VIN Foundation has improved its Student Loan Repayment Simulator to help veterinarians navigate how these potential changes may impact student loan repayment strategies. A new output is now available in the Student Loan Repayment Simulator called Revised REPAYE, or Re-REPAYE.
While updating REPAYE could benefit many veterinarians, phasing out PAYE and ICR may have negative effects. Veterinarians who are eligible for these plans should decide whether or not to use them before the new regulations take effect (yet to be determined). Now is the time for borrowers to review their current repayment strategies, and consider adjusting if necessary.
Additionally, the VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool and Student Loan Repayment Simulator have been updated to include vital information for graduate school borrowers including:
- Payments made during COVID forbearance that are eligible for refund
- Identifying privately versus federally-held student loan status to aid in benefiting from the one-time forgiveness count adjustment, the return of interest rate information
- Notifications regarding Pell Grant status to help borrowers understand how much cancellation they might receive (pending a decision by the Supreme Court)
- Interest rate information as we approach the end of the pandemic forbearance benefits
A library of FREE helpful student debt blog posts and information pages can be found on the VIN Foundation website and Student Debt Center. The VIN Foundation also furthers this support with a Student Debt Series as part of the Veterinary Pulse Podcast. All veterinarians and veterinary students can receive student loan repayment help through VIN Foundation
Learn more about the VIN Foundation student debt resources, including the My Student Loans, the In-School Loan Estimator, the Student Loan Repayment Simulator, and WikiDebt in the VIN Foundation Student Debt Center, or explore more VIN Foundation resources.
If you need student debt help, reach out to VIN and VIN Foundation. We have free online tools like the VIN Foundation Student Debt Center and special message board areas to help you make sense of your options. If you have questions on any of the available tools and options, reach out to studentdebt@vinfoundation.org.
Dr. Tony Bartels graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) and a VIN Foundation Board member. He and his wife have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation initiatives.
