Aug 19, 2026
· 9 min read
The 2026 repayment plans, and what they replaced
Two 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.
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Aug 15, 2026
· 11 min read
The repayment switch that only goes one way
Under 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.
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Aug 15, 2026
· 6 min read
What consolidating does to the plans you have left
Consolidation looks like paperwork. Under the 2026 rules it is the most permanent choice on the menu, and for parent borrowers it decides everything.
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Aug 13, 2026
· 7 min read
What starting at community college is actually worth
The 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.
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Aug 12, 2026
· 10 min read
For parents: how to run your student's numbers in one sitting
A cost of attendance tells you almost nothing on its own. Here is the order to work in, whether you are shortlisting schools or holding three offers.
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Aug 12, 2026
· 7 min read
For counselors: the money conversation, in the time you actually have
You are asked to be a financial advisor without the license, the training or the hour it would take. Here is what to hand a student instead.
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Aug 11, 2026
· 2 min read
The Parent PLUS cap nobody mentions until senior year
Everyone quotes the annual cap. The total is the one that bites, and it bites in the year you have the least room to react.
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