After months of Republican backlash against a Biden-era plan, the Department of Education suspended four of the agency’s programs in early March.

Experts expect more borrowers to default on their student loans without access to pandemic-era safeguards and affordable repayment plans.

Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR)—determines payments as either 20 percent of discretionary income or a fixed amount over 12 years, whichever is lower. Loan forgiveness is available after 25 years, and this is the only income-driven plan accessible to Parent PLUS Loan borrowers through consolidation.