Guides
The 2026 repayment plans, and what they replacedTwo plans replaced most of the menu in July 2026. The headline is the shorter list, but the change that moves the money is the formula underneath it.
The repayment switch that only goes one wayUnder the 2026 rules the plans do not swap freely. What you already paid carries into RAP, and what you pay under RAP mostly does not carry back out.
What consolidating does to the plans you have leftConsolidation looks like paperwork. Under the 2026 rules it is the most permanent choice on the menu, and for parent borrowers it decides everything.
What starting at community college is actually worthThe 2+2 path costs about $28,000 less at a typical public university. Here is what that does to the loan, the payment, and the part nobody can borrow.
Infographics
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The degree sets the debt, the specialty sets the payThirty-one careers, eight debt figures. What you borrow varies about twice over. What it earns you varies more than six times.
Transferring to a UC saves about $76,700The same diploma, from the same university, at about half the price. Most of the saving is rent rather than tuition.
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