教育部与财政部上线违约学生贷款支持中心：借款人可在 StudentAid.gov 一站申请贷款修复或合并
美国教育部（ED）与美国财政部（Treasury）宣布上线「违约贷款支持中心」（Defaulted Loans Support Center），这是一个设在 StudentAid.gov 的新在线门户，供持有违约联邦学生贷款的借款人了解违约后果、比较退出违约的路径，并在线申请贷款修复（rehabilitation）或贷款合并（consolidation）。两部门表示，新门户取代了沿用数十年的纸质流程与过时网站，借款人可在线完成修复申请、上传文件、查看预估还款额、电子签署协议并跟踪进度，也可通过门户申请合并贷款，并通过开通自动付款获得临时性的 1% 利率减免。
教育部长 Linda McMahon 说：「这一具有标志意义的宣布，是拆解联邦教育官僚体系、同时为违约学生贷款借款人精简关键资源的历史性一步。教育部从来就不该充当美国第五大银行，这正是我们与财政部合作、改善联邦学生援助项目管理的原因。」财政部长 Scott Bessent 说，新中心是财政部与教育部「联邦学生援助伙伴关系」的早期成果，目标是为 1.7 万亿美元的联邦学生贷款组合恢复财政纪律，为违约借款人提供更清晰的回归还款路径。
两部门公布的数据显示，目前有超过 500 万名借款人违约已逾六年，另有近 500 万名借款人在不到一年内进入违约，信用评分受损、未来融资机会受限。伙伴关系正式启动不到六个月，贷款修复申请的批准量已增加 69%；在一处技术问题修正后，退出违约的贷款合并量增加了 95%。
门户早期测试的用户反馈中，89% 的借款人表示申请易于完成，86% 表示清楚下一步要做什么，84% 表示整个流程耗时合理。两部门表示，伙伴关系将继续推进违约处理现代化、改善与借款人的沟通并强化运营问责。
Education and Treasury Departments Launch Defaulted Loans Support Center: Borrowers Can Apply Online to Rehabilitate or Consolidate Loans
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the launch of the Defaulted Loans Support Center, a new online portal at StudentAid.gov that gives Americans with defaulted federal student loans a simpler way to understand the consequences of default, compare paths out of default, and apply online to rehabilitate or consolidate their loans. The departments said the digital process replaces a paper-based approach in place for decades: borrowers can complete a rehabilitation application online, upload documents, review an estimated payment, electronically sign their agreement and track their progress, and can also apply online to consolidate and access a temporary 1% interest rate reduction by enrolling in auto pay.
"This landmark announcement is a historic step toward breaking up the federal education bureaucracy while streamlining critical resources for student loan borrowers in default," said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. "The Department of Education was never intended to serve as the fifth largest bank in America, and that's exactly why we partnered with the Treasury Department to improve the administration of federal student aid programs." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the center is an early achievement of the ED-Treasury Federal Student Assistance Partnership, aimed at restoring fiscal responsibility to the nation's $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio and giving defaulted borrowers a clearer path back to repayment.
According to the departments, more than 5 million borrowers have been in default for more than six years and an additional 5 million went into default in less than a year, damaging their credit scores and limiting future financial opportunities. In fewer than six months since its official launch, the partnership has delivered a 69 percent increase in approved applications for loan rehabilitation, and consolidations out of default have increased by 95 percent after a technical issue affecting consolidation was corrected.
Early feedback from the portal's beta test showed 89 percent of borrowers found the application easy to complete, 86 percent said they understood what to do next, and 84 percent said the process took a reasonable amount of time. The departments said the partnership will continue modernizing default resolution, improving borrower communications and strengthening operational accountability.
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图片来源：美国教育部（ED）总部 Lyndon Baines Johnson 大楼（资料图）。照片：Carol M. Highsmith 摄，公共领域，经维基共享资源。 / File photo: the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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