U.S. student debt now exceeds $1.6 trillion, and default rates are higher than for any other type of household debt. Yet even as many students struggle to make their monthly payments, few take advantage of a federal program that would make them more affordable. A variety of income-driven repayment (IDR) plans allow borrowers to pay a fixed percentage of their income, rather than a fixed amount, which reduces monthly payments. Despite the advantages of IDR, fewer than 30% of all student borrowers were enrolled as of 2018. The program is underutilized because the paper application process is unnecessarily complex--unlike, in countries such as the U.K. and Australia, where enrollment in IDR programs is automatic. In the U.S., one simple, low-cost policy change could boost enrollment and reduce student loan defaults: replace cumbersome paperwork with a streamlined, online application. Policymakers need to ascertain whether this approach serves the overarching goal of optimal student credit arrangements: to ensure that investing in higher education pays off without strapping students as well as taxpayers with burdensome debt.