(Credit and Caption for Photo: <p>According to the Education Data Initiative in Pennsylvania, the average debt is more than $36,000 per borrower. (Adobe Stock)</p>)

(Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania borrowers are among millions nationwide facing federal student loan changes as the cost of living continues to surge. Pennsylvanians hold over 67 billion of the more than 1-point-7 trillion dollars in U-S student loan debt. Tamar Hoffman with Community Legal Services says that under the Department of Education’s new regulations, borrowers who have loans from before July 1st, 2026 keep most of their old repayment options and can also use the new Repayment Assistance Plan. She notes that borrowers with consolidation loans now have fewer choices and must use either the R-A-P or standard tiered plan. She points out many recent changes to the student loan repayment options are a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which introduced sweeping federal student loan reforms when it was signed into law in 2025.