Many or all companies we feature compensate us. Compensation and editorial research influence how products appear on a page. Student Loans Aidvantage Federal Student Loan Servicing Updated Sep 06, 2024 12-min read Reviewed by Sarah Sheehan, MAT Reviewed by Sarah Sheehan, MAT Expertise: Tax planning, retirement planning, debt management Sarah Sheehan is a writer, educator, and analyst who focuses on the impact of health, gender, and geography on financial equity. Her ultimate goal? To live beyond the confines of chasing the next dollar—and to teach everyone else how to do the same. Learn more about Sarah Sheehan, MAT If you borrow federal student loans, your loans will eventually get assigned to a student loan servicer. Aidvantage is one of seven such servicers, and its primary purpose is to coordinate loan repayment on behalf of the Department of Education. Aidvantage’s student loan platform is intuitive and user-friendly, but it never hurts to have extra guidance. We’ve researched everything from how to use the Aidvantage website to what borrowers are saying about this loan servicer. Keep reading to learn more. Table of Contents Skip to Section What are Aidvantage student loans?Managing your Aidvantage student loansMore about Aidvantage What are Aidvantage student loans? Aidvantage, part of Maximus Education, is a federal student loan servicer. Aidvantage made headlines in 2021 when it took over Navient student loans. However, its parent company has been involved with federal student loan repayment since at least 2013. Despite being a student loan company, Aidvantage doesn’t actually issue student loans. Instead, it manages federal loan repayment. If Aidvantage is your federal loan servicer, you’ll work with Aidvantage to: Make payments on your loans Apply for federal repayment or forgiveness programs Update your student loan account information Find answers to questions about your federal loans Aidvantage will also monitor your student status, shifting you between deferment and active repayment as your enrollment changes. Tip It’s possible to have more than one loan servicer. Verify who your loan servicers are from your Federal Student Aid account dashboard, through your credit report, or by contacting your lenders. Perhaps the only thing Aidvantage can’t do is keep track of your private student loans. But for the federal loans it oversees, Aidvantage will be your go-to resource throughout repayment. Read More Chase student loan alternatives About your Aidvantage student loans Aidvantage’s website serves as your student loan hub. We’ll walk you through how to navigate your online account so you can find the loan information you need. Is there an Aidvantage app? Aidvantage doesn’t currently have an app, but that doesn’t mean you can’t access your account sans computer. You’ll notice in the screenshot below that Aidvantage’s website is optimized for mobile browsing, so you shouldn’t have any issues logging in from your phone or tablet. Looking for a way to log in with as few screen taps as possible? Most browsers will let you add websites to your home screen by clicking either the share or menu icon. Here’s how to do this using Safari: While not quite the same as an app, having the Aidvantage website readily available from your home screen adds an extra layer of convenience to your student loan management. Where can I see my Aidvantage account summary? You’ll use the Aidvantage website for nearly every account function you need, including viewing your account summary. When you open Aidvantage’s home page, you’ll notice a login section on the left side of the screen, shown here: If you already have an account, enter your user ID and password. If this is your first time logging in, click “Register” to create an account. As soon as you sign in, you’ll immediately see your account summary. Your summary will show you: How much you owe on your student loans Whether you have a payment due A list of your Aidvantage-serviced federal loans You can access additional information about your student loans from the account summary dashboard, like each one’s balance and interest rate. Tip Even if you’re a seasoned borrower, it’s worth reading up on how student loans work. The better you understand your loans, the better equipped you’ll be to tackle repayment. How to see my student loan interest rate with Aidvantage To quickly find your interest rate online, follow these steps: Log in to your Aidvantage account. Scroll down to the “Your Loans” section of the account summary. Click the plus sign beside each loan. Clicking the plus sign will display the selected loan’s remaining balance and interest rate. Alternatively, you can select “Loan Details” from the menu bar to view the interest rates for all of your loans in a single list. If you need a hard copy of your loan information, Aidvantage allows you to print your student loan details, complete with each loan’s interest rate. Read More Who owns your student loans? How to find my student loan account number with Aidvantage Your account number will be printed on your monthly statements, but you can find it online, too. When you log in to your account, look to the right side of the menu bar. You should see a white box with your name on it. Click on that box to access your profile and view your 10-digit account number. How does repayment work with Aidvantage student loans? Repayment begins six months after you finish your program, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment. Aidvantage will notify you around 45 days prior to your first due date, by mail, email, or both. But you don’t have to wait until then to start planning for repayment. How does Aidvantage bill pay work? Aidvantage gives borrowers four channels for making payments: Online By phone By mail Through autopay When you enroll in autopay, Aidvantage reduces your interest rate by 0.25%. If you’d rather make a manual payment online, all you have to do is log in to your account and select one of the following choices: Quick Pay: Pay the total amount due. Custom Pay: Pay a different amount or allocate your payments to a specific loan. If you frequently use Custom Pay, consider saving your preferred payment allocation. Aidvantage lets you include allocation instructions in your profile, simplifying future payments. You can also update your allocation instructions by calling Aidvantage or mailing in your preferences. How to pay off my student loan with Aidvantage Aidvantage displays your loan payoff amount within your account summary’s “Loan Details” section. If you can, you can make a lump-sum payment to settle your student loans for good. Of course, you can also ride out your regular monthly payments until your balance is paid in full. Tip Think you can’t get ahead of your student loans? Think again. Use these strategies to pay off your student loans fast. Some loan servicers send paid-in-full letters a month or so after borrowers pay off their student loans. However, it’s unclear whether Aidvantage does this. If you don’t receive a paid-in-full letter from Aidvantage, you can verify that your loans have a zero balance by logging in to your account and checking your most up-to-date loan details. Read More Why did your student loan payment increase? When you pay off your student loans, it’s tempting to preemptively cancel your autopay. We caution against this, though. If you inadvertently pay more than you owe, Aidvantage should refund the excess. But if you inadvertently pay less, you could wind up with interest charges and late fees you didn’t plan for. In our humble opinion, it’s better to play it safe and leave your autopay as is to avoid any surprises. Once your student loans are officially paid off, your autopay should be canceled automatically. How to change my student loan repayment plan with Aidvantage You’ll be on the standard repayment plan by default when you enter repayment. You’re not obligated to stay on that plan, though. You can change your repayment plan at any time. Through your Aidvantage account, you can explore various repayment options. Your plan dictates whether you’ll apply directly with Aidvantage or through the Federal Student Aid website. Here’s a quick look at your repayment options and where to apply: Repayment planApply with…Graduated repaymentAidvantageExtended repaymentAidvantageIncome-driven repayment (IDR)StudentAid.gov Eligibility for graduated and extended repayment rests solely on the types of federal loans you have and how much you borrowed. Aidvantage can review your student loans to determine whether you qualify. IDR plan requirements are slightly more involved. For these plans, eligibility hinges on your income, when you took out your loans, and how your adjusted payment amount compares to your standard payment amount. Depending on your loans and finances, you may qualify for any of the below IDR plans: Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) On the fence about which repayment plan is best? Our income-based repayment calculator is a good starting point for estimating your potential payments. How to pause student loan payments with Aidvantage If you need to pause your loan payments, you can request a deferment or forbearance through Aidvantage’s website. Both options temporarily postpone your payments, giving you financial breathing room when it matters most. Keep in mind that interest may still accrue while your payments are paused. You may also have to meet certain requirements to qualify. If you’re not sure whether deferment or forbearance is right for you, give Aidvantage a call or send an email to discuss your situation. Read More What’s the difference between deferment and forbearance? How can I contact Aidvantage customer service? There are multiple ways to get in touch with Aidvantage, from instant messaging to old-fashioned phone calls. If you need to contact an Aidvantage representative, here’s how to reach out: Phone: Dial 800-722-1300 if you’re in the U.S. If you’re calling internationally, dial 001-317-806-0580. Email: Log in to your account, click “Help Center” in the upper right corner, and then click “Email Us.” Chat: Start a new chat with the purple bubble in the lower right corner of the Aidvantage website. It appears that this bubble is available on every page for easy access. Fax: Should you need to send information via fax, Aidvantage’s domestic fax number is 866-266-0178. Its international fax number is 001-570-706-8563. Mail: Aidvantage lists two separate mailing addresses on its website. To mail in a loan payment, send your funds to P.O. Box 4450, Portland, OR, 97208-4450. Direct all other mail to P.O. Box 300001, Greenville, TX, 75403-3001. Aidvantage’s automated system is available around the clock—even on nights and weekends. The company’s manned customer service hours vary, however. To speak with a live human, you’ll need to call or chat during these hours: Monday: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Note that these operating hours are all in Eastern Standard Time. If you prefer to work directly with a representative but can’t call or chat during normal business hours, email may be your best bet. Is Aidvantage a good student loan servicer? Aidvantage holds a B- rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Why doesn’t Aidvantage have an A+? The BBB lowered Aidvantage’s rating due to the number of complaints filed against the company. Most complaints center on billing issues and credit reporting discrepancies. These grievances may have merit: In January 2024, Aidvantage received a $2 million fine for failing to provide sufficient notice to borrowers that their loan payments would soon resume. Concerning though these reports may be, Aidvantage’s consumer rating is on par with that of other federal servicers: ServicerConsumer ratingBBB ratingAidvantage1.05/5 out of 77 reviewsB-Nelnet1.06/5 out of 218 reviewsA+MOHELA1.07/5 out of 304 reviewsNot ratedReviews collected on August 14, 2024. Furthermore, these experiences won’t necessarily be your experience. By researching Aidvantage and proactively approaching repayment, you’re already in a prime position to get ahead of any issues. Know, too, that you have more control over your student loans than you think. For example, you may be able to change student loan servicers by combining your federal student loans into one Direct Consolidation Loan. You don’t have to make a decision right now, either. Weigh your options, line up a contingency plan or two, and find comfort in the fact that you’ll be prepared to pivot when and if you need to. FAQ Why was my student loan transferred to Aidvantage? Your student loan may have been transferred to Aidvantage as part of a routine servicing transfer. The U.S. Department of Education periodically transfers loans between servicers to improve service quality or manage the volume of loans. If your loan was transferred to Aidvantage, you should have received notification from both your previous servicer and Aidvantage detailing the transfer. This change does not affect the terms of your loan, and Aidvantage will now handle your loan payments, billing, and customer service needs. How do I apply for student loan forgiveness with Aidvantage? To apply for student loan forgiveness with Aidvantage, you must follow the specific requirements for the forgiveness program you are eligible for, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or Teacher Loan Forgiveness. The first step is to ensure that your loan qualifies under the specific forgiveness program’s guidelines. You can then complete the necessary application forms, which are typically available on the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. After filling out the forms, submit them to Aidvantage for processing. It’s important to keep track of any communication from Aidvantage and promptly respond to requests for additional information. How do I know if I have Department of Education Aidvantage loans? To determine whether Aidvantage now services your loans under the Department of Education, you can log into your account on the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website using your FSA ID. Your account will list all federal loans and their current servicers. If Aidvantage is listed as your servicer, your loans are Department of Education loans now managed by Aidvantage. You should also have received a notification from Aidvantage if it took over servicing your loans, including information on accessing your new Aidvantage account.