Federal Family Education Loan Program (or FFELP) loans were originally made by banks and other financial institutions under a federally guaranteed program. Some FFELP loans were later transferred to the U.S. Department of Education, and those particular loans are now government owned. The relief programs available may differ based on whether the loan is owned by the government or by a financial institution, such as Navient.

Tip for Navient customers: You can easily identify if you have these loan types on the Account Summary page after logging into (or creating) your online account at Navient.com.



If you’re unsure of who owns your loan, go to your Loan Details for each loan and scroll to the bottom to find the Current Owner.

Short-term coronavirus forbearance (beginning July 1, 2020)

We understand that COVID-19 continues to affect many people’s lives. We’ve created a short-term option for borrowers who contact us for relief on or after July 1, 2020. For a limited period of time, Navient is offering a short-term coronavirus forbearance to qualified FFELP borrowers who request it. This program brings your eligible loans current and postpones payments for at least one full month. The short-term forbearance will not count against your hardship forbearance time. During this time, you will not be responsible for making payments but interest will continue to accrue. At the end of the short-term forbearance, unpaid interest will not be capitalized (added to your unpaid principal). Your Monthly Payment Amount may increase after the forbearance ends to ensure your loans will be paid off within your repayment term.

Coronavirus national emergency forbearance (program discontinued as of June 30, 2020)

In response to the national emergency declared by the President in March 2020, Navient offered up to three months of administrative forbearance to qualified FFELP borrowers who made their request no later than June 30, 2020. This program brings your eligible loans current and postpones payments for up to three months. During this time, you will not be responsible for making payments but please know interest will continue to accrue. At the end of this forbearance, unpaid interest will not be capitalized (added to your unpaid principal).

In light of the reopening of the U.S. economy and the resumption of normal business activities that have already begun in many states and industries, this program is no longer offered as of June 30, 2020. Additional short-term and long-term relief is available to assist borrowers who experience difficulty due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the economy.

Tip for Navient customers: Please be aware that if this accrued interest is not paid and you postpone your payments in the future with a different forbearance or deferment then interest could be capitalized (added to the unpaid principal) increasing your overall loan balance.

Other programs that may assist you

Some of the other options that may help FFELP borrowers include: