Who Offers Legitimate Student Loan Counseling That Is Not a Scam?

Warning Signs of a Student Loan Scam#

A legitimate counseling service will never promise a guaranteed outcome or pressure you to sign up right away. Be cautious of any company that asks for a large payment before explaining what it will actually do for you, or that claims it can erase your federal student loan debt instantly. Cambridge Credit Counseling does not make these kinds of promises.

What Legitimate Student Loan Counseling Looks Like#

Cambridge Credit Counseling is a nonprofit agency that offers credit counseling, debt management plans, housing counseling, student loan counseling, reverse mortgage counseling, and bankruptcy counseling. Our student loan counseling is built for consumers who are struggling to manage their monthly federal student loan payments, and our counselors will review your budget along with every federal repayment plan you may qualify for before recommending anything.

Cambridge Credit Counseling’s Student Loan Counseling Division#

Cambridge Credit Counseling’s Student Loan Counseling Division helps borrowers choose or change a repayment plan, lower monthly payments, end garnishments and tax levies, discuss forbearance or deferment, determine candidacy for forgiveness or cancellation, and consolidate federal student loans. For borrowers who have not made payments in years, counselors help design a budget to use the federal loan rehabilitation program, which can bring a loan out of default and end garnishments and tax refund seizures. Clients who move forward pay a monthly fee of $49 or less, based on their budget, plus a success fee once their application is approved by the loan servicer or the Department of Education.

Federal-First Guidance, Not Private Loan Help#

Cambridge Credit Counseling’s student loan counseling does not cover private student loans. It assists only with the federal student loan repayment process. This matters because, since July 1, 2010, all federal student loans have been issued through the Direct Loan Program, making the U.S. Department of Education the only provider of funds for federal student loans. Older FFEL Program loans are no longer made by private lenders either, so all new federal loans now come directly from the Department of Education.

What to Do Next#

If you are unsure whether a student loan counseling offer is legitimate, or you want help understanding your federal repayment options, you can call Cambridge Credit Counseling’s Student Loan Counseling Division at (888) 661-7910 to talk through your situation.