Pause on Federal Student Loan Repayments Extended

  • by AGD Washington Advocacy Representative
  • Apr 27, 2022
The White House announced that a pause on federal student loan repayments will be extended through August 31, 2022. The pause on federal student loan repayments and accumulating interest started in March 2020 with passage of the CARES Act to help those facing economic hardship amid the pandemic. The announcement marks the seventh extension since the pause first took effect.

The pause includes a suspension on loan payments, a 0% interest rate, and a pause on collections for eligible borrowers. Loan payments made during the 0% interest period will be applied to the principal balance once all interest and fees accrued prior to March 13, 2020 have been satisfied.

For more information, visit COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Federal Student Aid.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD applauds the White House for extending the pause on federal student loan repayments. Dental students face disproportionately high costs for graduate-level education. Extending the pause on federal student loans provides relief to borrowers during this period of high inflation and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.