Can I do this myself?
Yes! Summer helps borrowers with federal loan programs that are set by the Department of Education and Congress. You can take advantage of any one (or possibly multiple) programs for which your loan types, income, and family situation are eligible by contacting your loan servicer or Federal Student Aid.
So why should I use Summer?
Imagine filing your taxes without the help of an accountant or tax software - that’s how it can feel to sort through the student loan landscape on your own. And that’s why Summer is here to help!
Although these programs are free and available to all borrowers, they can be very difficult to navigate. According to data from the Department of Education, 57% of borrowers in income-driven repayment (IDR) miss their annual recertification deadline, which can have some very negative consequences for your loans. And many borrowers working in public service are familiar with the disheartening statistics around approval for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
So how does Summer help? First, Summer can help you enroll in the right programs. Our tools can find the repayment options and forgiveness programs that are tailored to fit your unique loan situation.
Second, we help avoid rejections and servicer mistakes. If your loan servicer makes a mistake or rejects your application, it can set you back months (or sometimes up to a year) in making the correction. With access to our full suite of student loan optimization tools, Summer reviews each and every application to check for potential rejection reasons, and we may also help you identify servicer mistakes.