PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The U.S. Department of Education is set to resume collecting student loans in default.

Collections for student loans start May 5 which will affect nearly 5.3 million borrowers. One student at Old Dominion University (ODU) says it’s better to get ahead of the curve.

“It’s something you need to be ready for, be proactive about. It is worrying, its like a deadline of sorts. So, as long as you’re paying attention and you have the resources to take care of it you shouldn’t stress about it too hard,” said Prince Adams, a freshman at ODU.

If your student loans are in default that means you failed to pay your student loans back according to the terms in your contract. With this collection, the U.S. Department of Education will begin involuntary collection through the treasury’s offset program.

Adams still has 3 years to go but he’s already prepared to pay his debt down this summer.

“Once summer rolls around, I’ll start working and start chipping away at that immediately, I don’t want to wait until I’m out of college. I want to get started on it now,” said Adams.

Adams encourages fellow classmates to look at their resources to reduce their student loan debt.

“If you are barely making it through financially then I’d say look for opportunities to accrue more financials. There’s scholarships, there’s on campus work, there’s benefits just look for it and be ready for it,” said Adams.

Affected borrowers are set to get notices in the next two weeks. After 30 days the Treasury Department will begin garnishing wages for those in default. Officials say no student loan has been referred to collections since March 2020, including those in default.

For more information on the collection of student loans, visit here.