The Washington State Student Complaint Portal routes complaints about higher education programs in Washington state. The portal also accepts questions and complaints about student loan issues.

Before you submit a complaint through the Washington State Student Complaint Portal, please consider the following:

    Is your question or complaint about your PSLF Buyback request?

    Please be advised that our office cannot speed up the processing of your PSLF Buyback request/application. 

    Unfortunately, there is a large backlog of unprocessed PSLF Buyback requests. There is no estimate for how long it will take for requests to be processed, and duplicate requests will not result in faster processing. At the current processing rate, it could take Federal Student Aid 2-3 years to process all pending Buyback requests.

    What this means: If you are still on the SAVE forbearance waiting for your PSLF Buyback application to process, you need to decide what action to take before the SAVE forbearance ends.

    Action Options:

    1. Apply for another PSLF qualifying repayment plan.

    - Pros: Continue to make payments towards forgiveness. May lead to forgiveness faster. These payments would also reduce the number of months you need to Buyback.

    - Cons: Monthly payments may be higher than what buying back those older months would be.

    2. Contact your student loan servicer and request to be placed on a discretionary forbearance while you wait for Buyback processing. 

    - Pros: No monthly payments would be required – giving time to save up for the Buyback amount.

    - Cons: Interest accrues and forbearance doesn’t count towards PSLF. There is a limit on amount of time you can spend in a discretionary forbearance and Buyback processing time is still unknown. Your Buyback application could be denied, and you may need to resume repayment at that point to reach forgiveness. 

    Note: PSLF Buyback amounts for the SAVE forbearance time will NOT be calculated using the SAVE plan formula. This means that payments for those months will likely be higher than you may have expected when you applied for Buyback.

    Is your question or complaint about a student loan?

    Is your question or complaint about the SAVE forbearance?

    The Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) plan forbearance will end for borrowers as early as September 30, 2026. Beginning July 1, 2026, servicers will notify borrowers of their specific end date, after which they will have 90 days to switch repayment plans.

    What this means: Before the forbearance ends, all borrowers must select a new repayment plan, or they will be automatically placed into the Standard Repayment Plan (meaning, higher payments).

    Action steps:

    1. Monitor your loan servicer account regularly to stay informed about when the forbearance may end.

    2. Use FSA’s Loan Simulator (or EDCAP's repayment calculator) to compare your options and determine which plan best fits your needs.

    3. Apply to switch repayment plans at StudentAid.gov/idr now or before the forbearance officially ends. When you apply, you may receive an automatic 60-day processing forbearance, giving you more time before payments resume.

    Get more guidance on transitioning out of SAVE.

    Is your complaint about a high school, middle school, elementary school, or skills center?

    Is your complaint about funds administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs?

    Please submit your complaint directly to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Is your complaint about a FERPA violation?

    Complaints regarding a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) cannot be processed through the portal. FERPA complaints should be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. You may request a complaint form by calling 202-260-3887.

Didn’t find your answer?

Please be advised that copies of complaints and/or questions may be made available to the school involved, if applicable, and to other federal, state, or private agencies. Copies will also be made available, without personally identifiable information, to members of the public upon request.