When I ask a client if he has federal student loans, he will often say, "Yes, they're with Sallie Mae." However, that is not an indicator of whether your student loan is part of a Department of Education program. Sallie Mae originates and administers many private loans.
The only way to tell for sure is to use the National Student Loan Data System to find out everything you need to know about your loans (if they are federal). If it is listed there, it is federal. Go to www.fsaid.ed.gov to get a logon ID.
Who Is the Servicer?
There are other indicators as well as to whether you have a federal loan. If it is called a Stafford or Perkins loan, it is federal. Same for Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS. Also, if the servicer is one of the following (along with Sallie Mae):
- Aspire
- Cornerstone Education Loan Services
- Direct Loan Servicing Center
- EdFinancial Services
- EdManage
- FedLoan Servicing (PHEAA)
- Granite State Management and Resources
- Great Lakes Educational Loan Services
- Mohela
- Nelnet
- OSLA Servicing
These companies are under contract with the Department of Education to act as servicers on federal loans.
How Can I Get Help?
If you are looking for a solution to your student loan problem and wondering if there is one, then there is a great way to find out for free! Just click here to provide me with all the details on your loans. I will then, for free and with no obligation on your part, look at your situation to see if I can provide you with a way to deal with them. If there isn't one, it didn't cost you anything. If there is, then I will contact you to schedule an analysis session with my office to lay out a plan of action.
If you would like more information about student loans, you can dowload my free book, I Graduated; Now What? A Guide to Dealing with Your Student Loans.
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