How navigating the student loan repayment system can feel like a maze

The student loan system is broken in ways that get little attention amid all the controversy over debt forgiveness, a study out Wednesday morning from New America finds.

Why it matters: The paper highlights the ways the system can appear stacked against these borrowers — and how they feel trapped within it.

• The student loan payment pause that started in 2020 as part of the CARES Act is set to end next year, while President Biden’s debt forgiveness plan is in legal limbo. That means millions of borrowers will soon be required to make monthly payments again.

Context: The report presents the findings of focus groups that New America, a left-of-center think tank, held with borrowers who defaulted on federal student loans prior to the COVID pandemic.

• The researchers sought to understand why borrowers default and the barriers to returning to good…