It’s allowing me to pay rent and keep paying my private loans and not run out of money and not default on anything. That’s significant.
I probably would have had to go into some kind of forbearance on my private loans right now if I was still paying my federal loans.
I can’t even start to think about having kids because I have no idea how I would pay for even the regular stuff — the diapers, the food — let alone school, colleges, higher health insurance. If I didn’t have all these loans to pay back I might be able to do that.
— Jeffrey Morgan, a 2007 law school graduate who recently had $38,381.32 of federal loans discharged thanks to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, commenting on how his life has changed for the better because of it, if only minutely. Morgan still owes $67,987.09 in private student loans, which are delaying his ability to start a life, but he does not regret his decision to work in public interest.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.