The 2026 Policy Changes That Affect South Dakota Borrowers
Federal student loan policy changed significantly in 2026 — and these changes affect every borrower in South Dakotaregardless of which state you live in. Here's what you need to know:
The SAVE Plan Is Currently Blocked
The SAVE Plan — which would have provided the lowest payments for most income-driven repayment borrowers — is under a federal court injunction. If you are enrolled in SAVE, your payments are paused (administrative forbearance), but those paused months do not count toward IDR forgiveness or PSLF.
If you're in South Dakota and enrolled in SAVE, the best path for most borrowers is to switch to IBR (Income-Based Repayment), which is fully operational and qualifies for both IDR forgiveness (after 20–25 years) and PSLF (after 120 payments for public service workers).
Federal Options Available to South Dakota Borrowers
- IBR (Income-Based Repayment): 10% of discretionary income if your first loan was after July 1, 2014; 15% if before. Forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. Open to all eligible federal borrowers regardless of state.
- ICR (Income-Contingent Repayment): 20% of discretionary income or fixed 12-year payment, whichever is lower. Available for Parent PLUS loans after consolidation.
- PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness): If you work for a government or nonprofit employer in South Dakota (or anywhere), you may qualify for forgiveness after 120 qualifying payments. All three branches of South Dakota state government are qualifying employers.
Who Qualifies for PSLF in South Dakota?
PSLF is available to borrowers with Direct federal loans who work full-time for a qualifying employer. Qualifying employers in South Dakota include:
- All South Dakota state government agencies and offices
- All South Dakota county and city government employers
- Public schools and school districts in South Dakota
- Public colleges and universities in South Dakota
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations registered in South Dakota
- Public hospitals and health systems
Federal employees in South Dakota also qualify — this includes U.S. military members, federal agency employees, and USPS workers.
PSLF discharge data for South Dakota
ED data reports 3,430 borrowers with processed PSLF-related discharges in South Dakota, representing about $201,300,000 in discharged balance.
View South Dakota PSLF data →Finding Your Loan Servicer in South Dakota
Your loan servicer is the company that sends you bills and manages your repayment. MostSouth Dakota borrowers are serviced by one of these four servicers:
- Aidvantage — formerly Navient federal portfolio
- MOHELA — official PSLF servicer for all borrowers
- Nelnet
- EdFinancial
Not sure who services your loans? Log in to studentaid.gov with your FSA ID to see all your federal loan details in one place.
County Student Loan Debt in South Dakota
StudentDebt.ai also publishes county-level student loan debt profiles for South Dakotausing Urban Institute data. These pages compare borrower share, median balance, delinquency signals, payment amounts, and debt-to-income ratios.
- Clay County: median balance $21,350, borrower share 27.0%, debt-to-income 27%
Should South Dakota Borrowers Refinance?
Refinancing federal loans into a private loan is irreversible — you permanently lose access to IDR plans, PSLF, federal forbearance, and any future forgiveness programs. For most South Dakota borrowers with federal loans, refinancing is not recommended unless you:
- Work in the private sector (not government or nonprofit)
- Have stable, high income
- Do not need PSLF or IDR forgiveness
- Have loans above approximately 5% interest
If you have private loans, refinancing those is a separate decision and does not affect your federal loan protections.