If You Don’t Know Who Owns The Loan
The following three loan categories are not necessarily ED-owned. Commercial lenders sometimes own FFEL and HEAL loans, and schools sometimes own Perkins loans. That being said, on March 30, 2021, the Department of Education expanded its pauseon federal student loan interest and collections to include all defaulted loans in the Federal Family Education Loan Program.
If you don’t see that 0% interest rate on your account, contact your student loan servicer and ask who owns your loans. If you don’t want to call or email them, you might be able to find the information yourself by logging into your account and looking for your loan details. Let’s say your servicer is Nelnet, one of the biggest student loan servicers. Within your Nelnet account, you can click on “loan details” to see a list of all your loans. This list won’t show you who owns your loans, though. To get that information, you’ll need to pick one of your loans from the drop-down box.
Best-case scenario, your servicer discovers it has made a mistake and cuts your rate. You should always act as your advocate. Student loan servicers have a poor reputation for acting in borrowers’ best interests. To be fair, why should they? You aren’t their customer the government or the investors who own your loans are their customers. They’re basically acting as debt collectors for whoever owns your loans that’s how they earn money.
I Am A Member Of The Us Military Am I Eligible For Any Special Federal Student Loan Benefits
Nelnet is grateful to those who serve or have served our country, and we recognize the sacrifices you have made. As a member of the U.S. military, youre entitled to special benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Defense. To learn more about these benefits, see Resources for Servicemembers.
What Are The Advantages Of Making Automatic Monthly Payments Through Auto Debit
Auto debit is a convenient, simple payment option offering you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your student loan payments are being made accurately and on time.
Nelnet does not charge a service fee for using auto debit. In addition, you don’t need to use stamps, envelopes, or a check, which saves you time and money.
Additionally, when you sign up for auto debit, you may be eligible for a 0.25% interest rate reduction * while your account is in an active repayment status.
*Your lender may modify or terminate its borrower benefit program at its discretion and without prior notice. Your failure to satisfy benefit eligibility requirements may result in the loss of benefit. Some lenders do not offer this benefit. back
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Get Some Help Paying Off Your Federal Student Loans With Federal Student Loan Repayment Plans
If you have federal student loans, federal student loan repayment plans are worth considering. Find out what they are and how they work.
Paying off your student loans is easier said than done. Thats why you might want to explore federal student loan repayment plans. Depending on the plan, you may be able to lower your monthly payment, pay off your loans sooner, or save on interest.
Lets take a closer look at how traditional and income-driven federal student loan repayment plans work, how to apply for one, and how to decide which repayment plan is best for you.
If youre thinking about refinancing your student loans, Credible lets you easily compare student loan refinance rates.
Manage Your Student Loan Balance
Sign in to your student loan repayment account to:
- check your balance
- see how much youve repaid towards your loan
- see how much interest has been applied to your loan so far
- make a one-off repayment
- set up and amend Direct Debits
- check which repayment plan youre on
- print proof of your repayment plan if you need to show it to your employer
- tell the Student Loans Company if youve changed your contact details
- view letters and emails SLC has sent you
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Can Students Get Loans Without Parents
You don’t need any parent information to apply for federal student loans if you’re an independent student. … You can borrow up to $57,000 in total federal student loans as an independent student, rather than $31,000 as a dependent student. The answers you provide on the FAFSA determine your dependency status.
What Do Loan Servicers Do
The federal government is far and away the biggest provider of student loans for students enrolled in colleges, graduate and professional schools.
All federal student loans are administered by loan servicers. If youre one of the millions who have a Direct Loan , or any other type of federal student loan, you can bank on the fact youll work with one.
In addition to billing borrowers, and collecting and processing their payments, loan servicers are tasked with helping borrowers take advantage of policies and programs offered by the DOE:
On its own, your loan servicer cant alter your loans payments or its terms. Rather, they help you make your case to your lender in this case, the government by advising you on what programs you qualify for, and processing the materials that the government requires from you to make changes.
Questions about federal loans for your current or upcoming school year should be addressed with your schools financial aid office. For your other loans, you should contact that loans servicer as soon as problems emerge. You should update your servicer right away if any of your relevant personal information changes, including your name or address.
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Student Debt Relief Loan Refinancing Advertiser Disclosure
Student loan offers that appear on this site are from companies or affiliates from which Student Debt Relief may receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site . Student Debt Relief does not include all student loan companies or all types of offers available in the marketplace. Student Debt Relief tries to keep all rates offered by lenders up to date. There may be instances where rates have been changed, but Student Debt Relief has not been made aware of those changes, and/or has not yet had a chance to update its website. We make no guarantees as to the rates being offered. For more information see our privacy policy.
Managing Your Student Loans
While it may sound complex, learning how to answer How much do I have in student loans? is an important first step in managing your debt. Once you know how much you owe and who your loan servicers are, you can come up with a repayment plan that works for you.
Tip:
If youre wondering how long itll take to pay off your student loans, enter your current loan information into the calculator below to find out. Use the slider to see how increasing your payments can change the payoff date.
Enter loan information
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Ive Heard Of Public Service Loan Forgiveness How Can I Find Out If I Qualify
The requirements of the PSLF Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education, are available here.
Loan forgiveness is also available to some borrowers under the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program even if their repayment plan doesn’t qualify under regular PSLF. Information about TEPSLF is available here.
For a limited time, borrowers may also be eligible to receive credit toward PSLF under the U.S. Department of Education’s PSLF limited waiver opportunity even if their loan type, repayment plan, or repayment history don’t qualify under regular PSLF rules. However, borrowers may need to consolidate into the Direct Loan program and/or file employment certifications by October 31, 2022 to benefit. Information on the PSLF limited waiver opportunity is available here.
Massachusetts residents who need help exploring PLSF or the PSLF limited waiver opportunity are encouraged to file a Student Loan Help Request with the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Student Loan Ombudsman at www.mass.gov/ago/studentloans.
The National Student Loan Data System
The Department of Education’s central database for student aidthe National Student Loan Data Systemprovides information about what kind of loan you have, as well as loan or grant amounts, outstanding balances, loan status, and disbursements. Identification information is required to access the database. You’ll need a user ID and password to get into the system, which you can get online. You can also access the database by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center.
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Work Extra Hours And Save The Money
After graduation, youll be faced with the question of whether to pay off student loans or invest. Getting a part-time job or working extra hours at your full-time job before going to college eliminates that dilemma. Work for the money to go to college, save it in an interest bearing or investment account, and avoid going into debt to get your education.
Where Can I Find My Loan Information : :
An important factor in keeping up with your student loan payments is knowing where to find all of your student loan information. StudentAid.gov is the U.S. Department of Educationâs comprehensive database for all federal student aid information. This is one-stop-shopping for all of your federal student loan information.
At StudentAid.gov, you can find:
- Your student loan amounts and balances
- Your loan servicer and their contact information
- Your interest rates
- Your current loan status
To access StudentAid.gov:
Go to StudentAid.gov Have your FSA ID available. This is the same username and password you used to electronically sign your FAFSA. To learn more about the FSA ID, visit studentaid.gov. If prompted, enter your name, Social Security number, your date of birth and your FSA ID. Read the privacy statement. You must accept these terms to use StudentAid.gov. Select âSubmitâ
StudentAid.gov can be a valuable tool for you in keeping track of your student loan information. Checking StudentAid.gov and communicating with your loan servicer will give you the information you need to get back on track for your student loan repayment.
Ready Set Repay is an initiative of the Oklahoma College Assistance Program, an operating division of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
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Alternatives To Student Loans To Pay For College Without Debt
About Kevin
Kevin is a former fintech coach and financial services professional. When not on the golf course, he can be found traveling with his wife or spending time with their eight wonderful grandchildren and two cats.
At a Glance
According to Business Insider, the average cost of going to college in the U.S. is between $9,330 and $13,620 per year, based on the number of years attended and whether the college is public or private. Thats a tough financial obligation to take on. Most attendees apply for student loans because they cant afford to pay that out of pocket.
Many students graduate with student loan debt of up to $30,000. Thats without going on to business, law, or medical school. Professionals in those fields can accumulate debt theyll need several years, even decades, to pay off. Thankfully, there are alternatives. Instead of applying for a student loan to go to college, consider one of the following student loan alternatives:
What Is A Student Loan Servicer
The loan holder may choose to employ a loan servicer to manage the day-to-day activities of handling your loan account. The servicer takes care of billing, processing payments, providing repayment options, and sending communications to borrowers. If you want to set up a repayment plan, postpone payments, cancel a loan, or apply for some other government program, you need to know who services your federal student loan. Basically, the servicer is a third party that acts as a liaison between you and the holder of the loan.
You don’t get to choose your loan servicer. The loan holder assigns one. So, if you have federal student loans, the Department of Education picks your loan servicer.
What Is a Servicing Transfer?
Sometimes, a loan is transferred from one servicer to another. The holder, like the Department of Education, is still the holder. But the new servicer will handle the management of the loan.
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Check The Federal Student Aid Site
Studentaid.gov contains information on all federal student loans. Its the easiest way to determine if your loans are federal and get any loan information you may need. If you dont see your loan information on studentaid.gov, you dont have a federal student loan.
You access the site with your FSA ID to see your loan amount, status, servicer, outstanding balance and disbursement details. You can also apply for loan consolidation or sign up for an income-driven repayment plan there.
» MORE: Federal student loan forbearance pauses payments until Oct. 1
Which Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan Is Best
The ideal federal student loan repayment plan for you is based on your unique situation. It depends on your income, family size, financial goals, and personal preferences. Do you want to lower your monthly payments? Or is your main objective to pay off your student loans early? Be sure to research all your options before you choose a plan. Its also a good idea to revisit them each year to see if a different plan might work better for you.
Check out the StudentAid.gov Loan Simulator for some assistance with finding the best federal student loan repayment plan for your situation. Itll help you explore your options and make a sound decision tailored to your goals and needs.
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If You Know The Lender
Contact your private student loan lender to see if they still own your loan. More often than not, the original lender owns the loan and will help you manage the loan. However, there is still a chance that another company now owns the loan. In that case, the original lender can provide you with the new loan servicers contact information.
If youre in default, the original lender can also give you contact information for the assigned collection agency.
What If I’m Behind On My Payment Or Anticipate Having Some Difficulty Making My Payment
If youre having trouble making payments or worried that making your payments could become difficult, contact Nelnet right away. We can help you take advantage of options that may be available to help you lower payments or postpone your payments . Log in to your Nelnet.com account and click Repayment Options.
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Automatic Federal Student Loan Forbearance
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act grants federal student loan borrowers automatic administrative forbearance if the U.S. Department of Education owns the loans. What does this mean?
Originally passed on March 13, 2020, extended through Sept. 30, 2021, and again extended to Jan. 31, 2022the CARES Act was extended once again on Dec. 22, 2021, until May 1, 2022. This still means:
- Your interest rate will drop to 0%.
- You don’t have to make payments.
- If you want to keep making full or partial payments during this time, you can.
- You won’t be charged any late fees.
- Interest will stop accruing.
- The interest you owed on March 12, 2020, will not be added to your principal balance.
- You don’t have to contact your loan servicer to request these benefits if you’re eligible for them.
When you log in to your student loan account or look at your student loan statement, it should show an interest rate of 0% if you’re receiving the benefit. If your rate is not 0%, double-check that your servicer hasn’t made a mistake. Here’s how to determine if you should be getting this rate.
The American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in March 2021, includes a provision that student loan forgiveness issued between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2025, will not be taxable to the recipient.
When Does Nelnet Process Auto Debits
- Standard, Graduated, and Extended repayment plans. Your monthly auto debit will be made each month your loans are in an active repayment status, even if you have loans that are past due or if you have previously paid more than the minimum amount due . You can request an auto debit amount greater than your regular monthly payment. Doing so will allow you to pay off your student loan faster.
- Income-Driven Repayment Plans , or Reduced Payment Forbearance.Auto debit will not occur for loans that are paid ahead. If all of your loans are in one of these repayment plans, only your regular monthly payment amount will auto debit.
You can always make additional, one-time payments at any time by logging in to your Nelnet.com account or mailing payments to the address on your monthly billing statement.
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How To View Your Loan History
View your loan history through the National Student Loan Data System, the U.S. Department of Education’s central database for student aid information.
National Student Loan Data System is the U.S. Department of Education’s central database for student aid and provides aid information, including Title IV loans and Pell Grants. NSLDS tracks this information from the financial aid approval stage through the closure stage.
Data is transmitted to NSLDS from schools, agencies that guaranty loans, the Direct Loan program, the Pell Grant program, and other U.S. Department of Education programs.
You can view your NSLDS information by logging into studentaid.gov. Your profile will provide personalized information like your federal student loan balance, disbursement dates and contact information. You can also view information on your federal loan servicer.
