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The Fresh Start Program is a U.S. Department of Education (ED) program that allows students with defaulted federal student loans to return to repayment without any past-due balance.

Contact Us

Contact the Financial Aid Office if you need assistance.

Program Benefits

You can regain student aid benefits such as:

• Access to Federal Student Aid
• Stopped Collections
• Eligibility for Other Government Loans
• Restored Ability to Rehabilitate Loans
• Access to Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
• Access to Short-term Relief (Forbearance and Deferment)
• Access to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plans

Eligible Loans

The following loans defaulted on, or after March 13, 2020 are eligible:

• Defaulted William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans
• Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans
• Perkins Loans held by ED

If you’re not sure whether your loans qualify, you can call the at 1-800-621-3115 (TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing 1-877-825-9923).

Borrower Evaluation Process

We are currently reviewing all defaulted borrowers for Fresh Start eligibility.

Some borrowers will need to complete a Fresh Start Acknowledgement Form. Once the signed acknowledgment is received, the default hold will be removed and the student will be reviewed for aid awarding. Please note, typed signatures are not acceptable.

Student Borrowers

If a student needs to complete the Fresh Start Acknowledgement, it will appear on their MyÂ鶹ÊÓƵ Financial Aid dashboard.

Parent Borrowers

Parent-plus loan borrowers will need to contact their current loan servicer to let them know they want to take advantage of the Fresh Start program.

Need help contacting your loan servicer?

1. Log into your .
2. Your profile (upper right-hand corner) will provide a list of your loan servicers.

More Information

For complete and current information about the Fresh Start Initiative please visit .