By Amy Potthast.

Take it from us, kid: it's never too early to start thinking about financing your education. (Philippe Put, Flickr/Creative Commons)

Do you have student loans? Are you thinking about borrowing money for grad school?

The latest episode of the Idealist Grad Schools Podcast takes a closer look at two student debt relief programs established by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. The program requirements can be confusing, so I chatted with Heather Jarvis about a step-by-step approach to understanding both programs.

• Part One of the podcast focuses on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, in which many nonprofit and government workers stand to gain tens of thousands of dollars of student debt relief – after meeting several program requirements. Download now or scroll down to the media player.
• Part Two focuses on Income-Based Repayment, a crucial component of PSLF that is available now and that allows you to make even $0 payments to your loans, if that’s all you can afford. Download now or scroll down to the media player.
• You can read the transcripts of both shows here.

Why Heather? A former capital defense attorney saddled with $125,000 in law school debt, Heather Jarvis now dedicates her expertise to helping student loan borrowers make better decisions so that higher education can be a reality for all – not just those who can afford it.

Learn more. Just as we were editing this show, President Obama announced changes to the way current and future students can repay student loans. Get the details on Heather’s site. And for all of the links mentioned in these episodes, visit idealist.libsyn.com.

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Amy Potthast served as Idealist’s Director of Service and Graduate Education Programs until 2011. Read more of her work at amypotthast.com.

Tags: IBR, loans, podcasts, Public Service Loan Forgiveness