If you have federal student debt, you should always look into options available at studentaid.gov first. However, if you have private loans or need additional resources, there are lots of national organizations that offer student loan help; Sometimes for free and sometimes for a fee. Here are some of the most popular options and what they specialize in:

• The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA): Loan forgiveness, default, repayment plan options, servicer disputes.

The best way to determine if you have potential interest to claim is to contact your loan servicer, said Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors.

Mayotte said to keep in mind that there are income phaseouts for the break, and individuals who earned above $85,000 and couples who made more than $175,000 in 2022 are not eligible at all.

The general rule of thumb is not to borrow more than you expect to earn as a starting salary, said Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit.

Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit, said she recommends borrowers only use a forbearance or deferment for short-term hardship, including a sudden big medical expense or period of joblessness.

Struggling borrowers are best off finding a payment plan they can afford, said Mayotte.

But that leads to a question. Those statewide averages are generally in a pretty tight range, with that figure in the $30,000s in 47 states. So is that even a meaningful way to measure student debt?

“I’d like to see consumers — and policymakers, for that matter — stop concentrating and focusing on that total number,” said Betsy Mayotte, a debt expert and the president and founder of the Massachusetts-based Institute of Student Loan Advisors.

“Because in my experience,” she added, “that’s not necessarily meaningful to families when they’re estimating how much student debt they’re going to have to take on.”