You just matched. Here's what to do with your loans in the next 90 days.
The decisions you make between now and your first day of residency can save — or cost — six figures. This checklist covers exactly what to do and in what order.
Enroll in IBR on studentaid.gov
SAVE is dead. IBR is the best plan for residents on PSLF. Your payments during residency are income-driven and minimal — typically $0–$200/month. Every payment counts toward the 120-payment PSLF clock.
How to do it
Go to studentaid.gov → Log in → Repayment Plans → Income-Based Repayment
Submit your first Employment Certification Form (ECF)
The ECF verifies that your residency hospital qualifies for PSLF. Academic medical centers and non-profit hospitals (501c3) almost always qualify. Submitting early catches eligibility problems before you have made years of payments toward the wrong employer.
How to do it
Go to studentaid.gov → PSLF Help Tool → Certify Employment. Your program coordinator can sign digitally.
Some hospital systems own separate for-profit entities — even attached to a non-profit hospital. Confirm your specific legal employer, not just the hospital name.
Confirm your loan servicer and get your balance
Your servicer changed if it was Navient or FedLoan — both transferred accounts to MOHELA or Aidvantage. Log in and confirm your servicer, total balance, and loan types. Only Direct Loans qualify for PSLF.
How to do it
studentaid.gov → My Aid → Loan details. Note your servicer name and total Direct Loan balance.
FFEL loans do not qualify for PSLF. You must consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan first. If you have FFEL loans, do this before submitting the ECF.
Set your IBR recertification date reminder
You must recertify your income every year on IBR or your payment jumps to the standard repayment amount — which can be $2,000+/month on a $200K balance. Missing this date is one of the most common and costly mistakes residents make.
How to do it
Your recertification date is one year after you enroll. Set a calendar reminder 60 days before. MedDebt will email you when it is coming up.
Model your full repayment trajectory
The decision you make in the next few months — PSLF vs aggressive payoff vs refinancing — can be worth $100K–$300K over your career. It depends on your specialty, residency length, and whether your employer will be PSLF-qualifying as an attending. Run the numbers before you decide anything.
How to do it
Use the MedDebt Calculator with your match specialty preset. Compare PSLF vs aggressive payoff vs refinancing side by side.
Consolidate FFEL loans (if you have them)
FFEL loans (issued before 2010) do not qualify for PSLF. You must consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan. Do this before submitting your first ECF — consolidation resets your PSLF payment count to zero.
How to do it
studentaid.gov → Consolidation Application. Select all FFEL loans. Pick IBR as your repayment plan during the process.
Consolidation resets your payment count, so any PSLF-qualifying payments you made before consolidation will not count. Do this as early as possible.
After you finish this checklist, model your full 10-year picture.
PSLF vs aggressive payoff vs refinancing — the right answer depends on your specialty, residency length, and attending employer type. Takes about 2 minutes.