State Council of Higher Education for Virginia - Annual Report Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman - February 12, 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Annual Report Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman, submitted by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, reviews implementation and overall effectiveness as required by the Code of Virginia. The report summarizes key 2024 findings, including assistance provided to Virginians with education loan issues, borrower-facing outreach and education activities, website module usage, and collaboration to improve student loan payment restart processes. It also outlines future plans and policy recommendations based on trends from borrower complaints.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

SUMMARY

PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT

OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS

Analysis of Borrower Cases

Outreach Efforts

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Policy Recommendations

THE QUALIFIED EDUCATION LOAN BORROWER EDUCATION COURSE

APPENDIX

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Annual Report Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman February 12, 2025 Table of Contents SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ 1 PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT ................................................................................................................. 2 OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS................................................................................................................... 3 Analysis of Borrower Cases .................................................................................................................4 Outreach Efforts.....................................................................................................................................7 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE ..................................................................................................................... 9 Policy Recommendations .....................................................................................................................9 THE QUALIFIED EDUCATION LOAN BORROWER EDUCATION COURSE..............................................14 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Code of Virginia Authorizing Language .........................................................................................18 SUMMARY The Code of Virginia directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to submit an annual report to the House Committees on Labor, and Commerce and Education, and the Senate Committees on Commerce and Labor, and Education and Health on the implementation and overall effectiveness of the Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman (§ 23.1-234). Terms associated with the operation of the office are defined in § 23.1-231. The following are the key findings from the 2024 annual report. 1. The Office of the Education Loan Ombudsman has helped 831 Virginians with education loan issues during its first six years of operation. 2. Primary services included: helping borrowers understand the complexity of their loans, troubleshooting eligibility issues for loan forgiveness, assisting borrowers to resume payments and helping those who felt they were defrauded or misled by their institutions. 3. The Student Loan Advocate delivered presentations to more than 500 students, parents, teachers and counselors at conferences and events hosted across the Commonwealth in its first six years of operation. Further, the Advocate launched media and social media outreach campaigns to help Virginians better understand student loan repayment resumption. 4. The Student Loan Advocate managed Virginia's student loan website ([virginiastudentloanhelp.org](virginiastudentloanhelp.org)), which saw approximately 25,000 unique users participate in one or more education modules during 2024. 5. The Student Loan Advocate worked with other federal and state advocates to improve the process for the restart of student loan payments. 6. The Student Loan Advocate analyzed data and identified trends in borrower complaints, informing the development of policy recommendations to help borrowers. PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT This report fulfills the legislative requirement for the Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman (the Office), staffed by the Student Loan Advocate (the Advocate) . The General Assembly and Governor established the Office during the 2018 General Assembly Session. An excerpt of the enabling legislation and purpose is included below, along with a description of the expected annual reporting requirements. (The full legislation is in Appendix A.) § 23.1-232. Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman established; duties. A. The Council shall create within

FAQs

What is the purpose of this annual report?

It fulfills the legislative requirement for SCHEV to report to specified House and Senate committees on the Office’s implementation and overall effectiveness, including outcomes, public outreach, and progress on the borrower education course.

How does the Office help qualified education loan borrowers?

The Student Loan Advocate provides timely assistance by helping borrowers understand their loan terms, troubleshoot eligibility for loan forgiveness, support payment resumption, and address concerns about being defrauded or misled.

What actions and outreach were reported for 2024?

The report highlights presentations delivered to students and families, media and social outreach to explain repayment resumption, operation of a student loan help website with module participation, and analysis of borrower complaint trends to inform policy recommendations.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by วิน