Andrea Murzello has a doctorate in pharmacy and a stable job at a nonprofit. But she says she can’t afford to grow her family — not under the Trump administration’s latest student loan policy shift.

Accruing interest follows year of zero-interest forbearance and comes amid restructuring of the nation's student loan system.

If you have federal student loans, you’ve probably heard the buzz: SAVE plans started drawing attention again beginning August 1, 2025. That’s because interest accrual on federal student loans finally resumed after a long pause during the pandemic.