Federal Income-Driven Repayment Plans and Short-Term Student Loan Outcomes

This brief uses administrative data provided on the Baccalaureate and Beyond and Beginning Postsecondary Students data sets to examine student loan repayment over time. Specifically, we provide descriptive details on what differentiates borrowers in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and explore the relationship between these plans and short-term repayment outcomes. While IDR has many benefits, our analysis suggests there may also be negative consequences to increased participation in these plans.