Repayment is real – yet many student loan borrowers aren’t making a move.
As of fall 2024, more than 20 million borrowers entered active repayment, and the results point to a challenging landscape. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), delinquency rates for student loan borrowers have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, the share of student-loan debt entering serious delinquency was 12.9%, the highest in 21 years of data.
For colleges and universities, this shift has serious implications. While the Cohort Default Rate (CDR) metric lags behind real-time risk, the consequences of borrower confusion and missed payments are already showing up – in phone calls, missed outreach, credit score hits and borrower distress.
The case for early intervention
Research consistently shows that early, personalized outreach during the grace period can have a powerful impact. A borrower who understands their repayment options and servicer relationship is significantly less likely to miss their first payment. According to National Student Clearinghouse data, schools that implement structured grace counseling see:
- Up to a 50% decrease in delinquency
- Higher levels of borrower engagement and confidence
- Fewer account escalations and loan rehabilitation cases
Supporting borrowers beyond graduation
Many borrowers who fall behind say they simply didn’t know where to turn. A 2024 survey from Trellis Company found that nearly 60% of struggling borrowers had not spoken to their loan servicer or school since entering repayment. They mention reasons like they are just too embarrassed, don’t know what questions to ask, or feel like there is no way out. That disconnect can snowball into long-term financial harm for the borrower and reputational or compliance risk for the institution.
Instead, forward-thinking schools are embracing a mindset of guided support and reaching out before problems escalate, and connecting students to trusted resources with care.
A partner in proactive repayment support
Institutions don’t have to do this alone. Inceptia partners with schools to deliver tailored outreach and counseling at the most critical moments – during the grace period, as borrowers begin repayment, and if they get into delinquency trouble with the mission of keeping them away from default. Our team serves as a bridge between your office, your students and their servicers, helping resolve issues with empathy and expertise to protect them and your school.
If you’re rethinking how your institution supports borrowers through repayment, we’d be glad to share what’s working and how others are scaling their efforts. Visit Inceptia.com or connect directly with one of business development representatives.
