Key oversight helping keep student loan records accurate has stopped, a watchdog says
Source: NPR
March 11, 2026 5:00 AM ET
Just over a year ago, the U.S. Department of Education abandoned key oversight of the companies that run the federal student loan program, according to a new report from the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GAO investigators found that, in February 2025, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) stopped reviewing the accuracy of loan servicers' records. FSA also stopped reviewing recordings of calls with borrowers to make sure they're being given accurate information. Without this oversight, the report warns, borrowers could feel the consequences.
"If servicers' records are inaccurate, borrowers could, for instance, be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts, or not have a refund processed in time," the report says. "Similarly, FSA has not monitored calls since February 2025, so there is a risk that borrowers have received or will receive incorrect information and poor customer service."
The investigation was requested by the ranking members of the House and Senate education committees, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "Instead of providing relief to 43 million Americans who are drowning in student debt," Sanders said in a statement to NPR, "the Trump administration has made it harder for them to understand how much they owe and how long it will take to pay back."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/03/11/nx-s1-5735661/student-loans-gao-education-department
Link to Government Accountability Office (GAO) REPORT - Federal Student Loans: Education Needs to Address Gaps in Servicer Oversight
Link to Government Accountability Office (GAO) REPORT HIGHLIGHTS (PDF) - https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-108534-highlights.pdf
Link to Government Accountability Office (GAO) REPORT FULL (PDF) - https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-108534.pdf
Link to Senator Sanders PRESS RELEASE - NEWS: New GAO Report Finds Trump’s Dismantling of the Education Department Leaves 43 Million Borrowers Without Support
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