Navient Loan Forgiveness: Who Qualifies Now

Navient no longer services student loans, and it never forgave federal ones. Its accounts left in two transfers: the Department of Education’s Direct Loans went to Aidvantage on October 20, 2021, and the private and older FFEL loans Navient owns itself went to MOHELA on October 21, 2024. Navient still owns that second group; MOHELA only services them.

Navient was once part of Sallie Mae before splitting off in 2014, which is why you may still see both names when researching old loans — but their forgiveness programs are separate.

• If your loans became Direct Loans, you can still qualify for federal forgiveness and other relief options such as income-driven repayment forgiveness or Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

• If they’re FFEL loans now at MOHELA, they can still reach forgiveness — IBR forgiveness where they sit, or PSLF after a Direct Consolidation.

• If they’re private Navient loans, they aren’t eligible for federal forgiveness — but settlement, refinancing, and Navient’s own school-misconduct discharge may apply.

Navient doesn’t run a federal student loan forgiveness program. The only major “Navient forgiveness” came from a 2022 state lawsuit settlement that canceled some old private subprime loans, not federal ones.

If you had federal loans that Navient used to service, they now sit with Aidvantage (the Department of Education’s Direct Loans, moved when Navient’s federal servicing contract ended in October 2021) or MOHELA (the older FFEL loans Navient still owns, moved in October 2024). A 2024 CFPB order then permanently banned Navient from servicing federal loans. Those loans are still eligible for programs like PSLF and IDR forgiveness — but through the Department of Education, not Navient.

Related: Navient to Mohela: What Borrowers Should Know

If your Navient loans are private, you won’t qualify for federal forgiveness programs like PSLF or IDR forgiveness — but there is one narrow path that can erase private Navient debt entirely.

Navient runs a school-misconduct discharge program for borrowers who attended certain for-profit or deceptive schools. It’s similar to the federal Borrower Defense to Repayment program, but for private loans Navient made or serviced. Borrowers must show that their school misled them or violated state consumer-protection laws. Applications now go through MOHELA, which took over servicing Navient’s private loans in October 2024 — but Navient still makes the discharge decision.

As of August 2026, the program is still accepting applications, and there’s no deadline. It’s not automatic, though, and applies only to specific schools and loan types — a December 2024 congressional investigation found Navient denied about 80% of the borrowers who applied. For most private loans, relief still comes through settlement or refinance.

If you’re wondering how to get rid of Navient private student loans, settlement or refinance are your main paths — not federal forgiveness.

Related:

• Navient Private Student Loan Forgiveness

• How to Settle Navient Student Loans

• Navient Student Loans: Who Owns Them Now

What you need to do depends on who services your loans today — MOHELA or Aidvantage.

If Your Loans Moved to MOHELA (FFEL Loans)

These are older Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) that don’t qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) unless you consolidate them into the Direct Loan Program at StudentAid.gov. After consolidation, you’ll start earning PSLF credit from zero. A consolidation made now also counts as a new Direct Loan, so the new loan repays under the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) — which qualifies for PSLF — rather than IBR.

If you’re not pursuing PSLF and instead working toward 20- or 25-year forgiveness through Income-Based Repayment (IBR), you can stay where you are. FFEL loans can remain with MOHELA, but IBR is the only income-driven plan available.

Contact MOHELA to ask how many qualifying payments you already have toward IBR forgiveness — that number determines your remaining timeline.

Consolidating now means starting over on your forgiveness clock and trading IBR for RAP, so compare both paths before deciding. Parent PLUS loans are the exception: the consolidation route that opened income-driven forgiveness for them closed on June 30, 2026. A parent who consolidated by then can still move from ICR to IBR; a consolidation made now lands on the Tiered Standard plan, which earns neither income-driven forgiveness nor PSLF credit. See Parent PLUS loan consolidation for the details.

If Your Loans Moved to Aidvantage (Direct Loans)

These are usually Direct Loans owned by the Department of Education. They already qualify for PSLF and IDR forgiveness without consolidation. You just need to enroll in an income-driven plan — IBR or RAP — keep payments current, and submit all forms through StudentAid.gov. SAVE is no longer available; its rule was vacated. IBR generally closes if you take out a new Direct Loan on or after July 1, 2026, so don’t borrow again while you’re working toward forgiveness. There’s no separate Navient loan forgiveness application.