How To Get Navient Private Student Loan Forgiveness

For the last years we have heard an earful when it comes to student loans and student loan forgiveness. And with good reason. And even after all we’ve witnessed, I never thought I’d see the day we’d see Navient private student loan forgiveness on the table. 

As of the end of 2023, 43.2 million Americans hold federal student loan debt with a total national balance of over $1.6 trillion dollars (as per the Federal Student Aid office in The Department Of Education) 

But… federal student loans aren’t the only student loans on the block. Private student loan debt accounts for $131 billion dollars of the total national balance. Though they only make up approximately 8% of all student debt, private student loans are the most predatory of the bunch due to very few regulations.

Most do not have a cap on interest rates. Take it from me, who personally borrowed money for school and went from 7 to 8% interest rates to 16% at the time of payoff. To make matters worse, private student loans did not pause payments at the precipice of the pandemic and continued to profit during one of the most difficult economic times of our lives. 

With all the talk surrounding student loan forgiveness, private student loans are unfortunately oftentimes left out of the conversation. In fact Senator Elizabeth Warren is one of the few presidential candidates to ever address private student loans head during their presidential campaign. A true beacon of hope for those who had to seek financial aid outside of what the government would offer. 

When it comes to private student loan, the silence is deafening, especially when a loan provider addresses student loan forgiveness as quietly as possible. 

So instead, let’s blow the lid off that thang and discuss it LOUDLY! Here’s the step by step guide you need to know on how to get private student loan forgiveness from Navient. 

What is the Navient Private Student Loan Forgiveness Program?

This program is very similar to the Borrower Defense Program from the Department of Education. If you are unfamiliar with the Borrower Defense Program, here’s a quick TLDR; recap 

• Federal student loans would be discharged if you enrolled in a school or continued to attend a school based on misleading information from the school, or misconduct covered by the regulation. 
• To date, the Biden administration has approved the discharge of $28.7+  billion of debt across 1.6 million borrowers through borrower defense claims and closed school discharge, as of May 2024. 

The Navient program seems to be following suit and is the ONLY known / non-scam loan forgiveness program offered to those with private student loans. So… it’s easy to understand why this would be a big deal right?

And to no one’s surprise, Navient has gone about carrying out this forgiveness in this most discreet quiet way possible. Thankfully, the Project on Predatory Lending (PPSL) launched a campaign to publicize the program to prevent it from only being offered to a select group of borrowers when more people are likely eligible. 

Truly, the PPSL did their big one with that campaign and we are all the more knowledgeable for it! Here’s what else you need to know 🔽

How do I qualify for private student loan forgiveness?

FIRST: Get an application

If you attended a predatory school and want to challenge your Navient private student loans, contact Navient and ask for the School Misconduct Discharge Application. You can do this two different ways. Either you reach out to Navient’s Office of Consumer Advocate at (888) 545-4199 ext. 998214. Or you can send an email to: advocate@navient.com 

OR you can find a blank version of the application here (heads up: it is not a fillable PDF)

💡 And if Navient refuses to give you an application - submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

POSTS YOU SHOULD SEE:

What you need to know about the Navient Lawsuit
6 Predatory Loan Practices To Watch Out For
6 Things Your Loan Service Provider Isn't Supposed To Do

NEXT: Fill out the application

I recommend you set aside at least 1 hour to get through the entire process though it is likely it could take more time. 

What do I need to know  before I start the application: Navient recently released an updated application in June that now states: “student loans potentially eligible for School Misconduct Discharge are direct-to-school loans to attend for-profit schools. Refinance loans and direct-to-consumer loans are not eligible for this program.” 

In addition to this regulation, Navient is also now requiring an up-to-date job history (since you’ve graduated / or attended) along with supporting documentation. 

It is really really clear that they are placing additional obstacles in the way the more people find out about the program in general (which is why if you have attended a qualifying school that entitles you to loan forgiveness, I suggest you move sooner rather than later) 

What else will I need during the application? 

Carve out about an hour to get the application completed. To do so you’re going to need

• To explain how your school misled, defrauded or lied to you and why you’re entitled to loan relief. Make sure you’re thorough but concise (I know that sounds counterproductive but the main goal is to focus on the specific details like dates, amounts owed…etc) Do not focus on what the school promised to do for you… because Navient truly doesn’t want to hear it. 
• Supporting documentation of your explanation 

What are some examples of the documentation I can use?

• If you have federal student loans that you’ve applied for and were approved for forgiveness under the Federal Borrower Defense program you can submit the approval letter from the Department of Education. 
• A copy of a letter from the Department of Education announcing school misconduct related group discharge for students that attended specific for- profit schools. These schools are:
  
  • Marinello Schools of Beauty
  • Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (including WyoTech, Heald and Everest)
  • ITT Technical Institute
  • Westwood College
  • College America
  • The Art Institutes
    
• If you attended one of these schools involved in the 2022 Navient settlement, you can use that as a source of documentation in your application.
• Any lawsuits, enforcement actions and investigations related to your school will be useful to include in your documentation. 
• Original documentation that proves misrepresentation, deceptive recruitment, or misconduct.  

Final Steps:

You’ve made it all the way through the application, you’ve explained your case and provided documentation to support your request for loan forgiveness. Now the final steps are as follows: 

• Submit your application to Navient by my snailmail to: Navient, P.O.Box 4200 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18773-4200; or via email at: advocate@navient.com
• Navient should respond within 30 days no matter if you are approved or not. If not you can file a complaint with the CFPB.
• If you are denied or Navient will not consider your application, the PPSL suggests filing a complaint with the CFPB in addition to contacting Navient directly for information on why you  were denied. Be sure to ask what additional information or documents you need to submit in order for them to reconsider your application.

What happens if I'm approved for private student loan forgiveness ? 

If Navient does approve your application for private student loan forgiveness… first off CONGRATULATIONS! That is absolutely worth a moment or two of celebration. I suggest a pizza 🍕

After you’ve celebrated, read over the acceptance letter. In previous forgiveness settlements, cancelation occurred automatically, and borrowers did not have to take any further action. 

If you want student loan forgiveness updates sent directly to your inbox you can sign up for my Future Millionaire newsletter right here! 

Until next time, I’m rooting for you and your student loan forgiveness!