In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon explained the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to restart collections on federal student loans that are in default — and what comes next for Federal student loan borrowers who are behind on their bills.

Beginning in two weeks, defaulted student loans will be sent to collections, the US Department of Education announced Monday. Borrowers currently in default and hoping for debt forgiveness should take action before collections resume on May 5.

The US Department of Education will resume collections on defaulted federal student loans starting May 5, 2025, ending a four-year pause that began during the Covid-19 pandemic. This move affects nearly 4 million delinquent borrowers,