AAU joined six other higher education associations in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona requesting clear and comprehensive information on the department’s plans to resume student loan repayments on February 1, 2022. “Institutions of higher education are invested in ensuring federal student loan borrowers transition smoothly back into repayment; however, institutions are hamstrung without a comprehensive understanding of ED’s roadmap for the transition,” the associations noted.
The letter urged the secretary to share the department’s plans so higher education institutions can provide effective counseling to student borrowers and be “good partners in supporting ED’s vision for the end of the pause.” The letter specifically asked the secretary to share ED’s plans related to borrower outreach and communication as well as policies impacting borrowers leading up to and after the return to repayment. The associations sent a similar letter in July 2021.