Hi, I'm wondering if you can point me in the right direction. I have student loans which went into default years ago. I would like to apply for the income based repayment program, but my understanding is that I cannot apply if my loan is in default. So what is the best route to go from here? Do I need to consolidate the loans and get them out of default before I can apply? Who is the best person to talk to? I owe about 40,000.