Level Up Your Student Loan Advising–Introducing NCLC’s New Free Training Series
Student loan debt is a major financial challenge for millions of people. Things are about to become even more complicated as recent changes in the law will significantly change student loan borrowers’ repayment options. Additionally, the federal government is beginning debt collection of defaulted student loans for the first time in five years—meaning millions of people could be at risk of losing their tax refunds, wages, and other benefits!
As a financial counselor, coach, social worker, or community advocate, you may be working with people who are unaware of their rights and options for dealing with their student loan debt. Student loan debt can significantly impact people’s financial situation. It can make it harder to build savings, negatively affect credit, and leave people unable to pay their rent or utility bills, or afford medical care.
Even if you do not focus solely on student loan issues, knowing more about federal student loan default and repayment options could be a key piece of your client’s financial puzzle. Having up-to-date, accurate information about dealing with this unique type of debt is critical, now more than ever. That’s why the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) is excited to announce a new training series designed specifically for you.
- Is This Training Series Right For You?
- What You Will Learn
- How To Sign Up
- Training Schedule
- Previous Training Materials
- Companion Student Loan Resources
Is This Training Series Right For You?
Do you help advise people on managing their debt and finances? Do you work with people who are struggling to pay their bills? Do you help people prepare their taxes? If so, this training may be right for you.
This comprehensive training series is crafted to equip a broad range of professionals—from financial counselors and coaches to social workers, housing counselors, and other community advocates—with the practical knowledge and tools needed to confidently advise people struggling with student loan debt. Each session is designed to help you work with student loan borrowers, whether you spend a little time or a lot of time on student loan issues. We will break down the complex changes coming to the student loan system into simple, actionable advice you can apply immediately to your work.
We understand that every case is different, and the rules and regulations around student loans change constantly. Our goal is to help you cut through the noise and provide a clear, actionable roadmap for managing student loan debt.
What You Will Learn
The series covers the critical areas you need to know to provide effective guidance, including:
- The Ins and Outs of Student Loan Basics: An introduction to common student loan issues and how financial counselors and other professionals can help people navigate their student loan debt problems.
- Default and Debt Collection: Strategies for helping clients who have fallen into default, including options for loan rehabilitation and consolidation to get them back on track and avoid costly collection actions such as tax refund seizure, wage garnishment, and Social Security benefits offset.
- Loan Cancellation, Forgiveness, and Discharge Programs: The latest information on eligibility for various ways to cancel federal student loan debt through Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), Total and Permanent Disability discharge, and other programs.
- Understanding Repayment Options: A deep dive into advising clients on choosing repayment strategies for federal student loans, including various federal income-driven repayment (IDR) plans (e.g., SAVE, PAYE, IBR, ICR, RAP), eligibility requirements, payment calculation, and the application process.
- Resolving Common Student Loan Problems & Other FAQs: An overview of strategies you can employ to resolve common problems student loan borrowers face when managing their debt, including dealing with loan servicers, application processing issues, and other errors.
How To Sign Up
This virtual training series is free and will be offered as five individual webinars throughout 2026. If you join the webinars live, you will have the chance to ask NCLC’s experts your burning student loan questions. If you are not available to attend any of these trainings live, you can sign up to receive the recorded webinars and materials.
Join us to sharpen your skills and ensure you are providing the most accurate and effective advice to your clients who need it most.
Training Schedule
- Thursday, January 29th, 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET: The Ins and Outs of Student Loan Basics
- Thursday, February 26th, 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET: Default & Debt Collection
- Thursday, May 7th, 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET: Cancellation & Forgiveness Options
- Thursday, August 20th, 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET: Understanding Repayment Options
- Thursday, November 5th, 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET: Resolving Common Student Loan Problems & Other FAQs
Previous Training Materials
Training 1: The Ins & Outs of Student Loan Basics (January 29, 2026)
Training 2: Default & Debt Collection (February 26, 2026)
Training 3: Loan Cancellation, Forgiveness, & Discharge Programs (May 7, 2026)
Companion Student Loan Resources
This training series goes hand-in-hand with other key free resources NCLC offers to professionals working with people managing student loan debt, including:
- NCLC’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project: A comprehensive and plain language website for borrowers to understand their rights and options for managing their student loan debt.
- NCLC’s Student Loan Toolkit: The Student Loan Toolkit explains the basics of the student loan system and includes fillable pages and screening checklists to guide meetings with borrowers, collect key information, and document information for the borrower to refer back to as needed. The Toolkit is also a great self-help resource for borrowers you can’t assist directly.
- NCLC’s Student Loan Video Series: A series of student loan borrower help videos designed for borrowers struggling to navigate the student loan repayment process.
- NCLC’s Student Loan Law Manual: NCLC’s Student Loan Law is a legal treatise that provides in-depth and up-to-date information on everything advocates need to know about student loans.
- NCLC’s Surviving Debt: A leading resource for over 25 years, Surviving Debt provides precise, practical, and accessible advice from the nation’s consumer law experts on how to deal with crushing debt affecting millions of Americans, including student loan debt.
