Many or all companies we feature compensate us. Compensation and editorial research influence how products appear on a page. Student Loans Student Loan Repayment Your Complete Guide to Student Loan Servicers Updated Apr 24, 2025 8-min read Written by Christy Rakoczy Written by Christy Rakoczy Expertise: Student loans, mortgages, insurance Christy Rakoczy has been a personal finance and legal writer since 2008. She has a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law and was a college instructor before she began writing for the web. Learn more about Christy Rakoczy When you take out student loans, managing them often means dealing with a loan servicer. While private loan lenders usually service their own loans, companies like Nelnet, AES, and MOHELA service federal loans. These servicers handle your payments, update your account, and help with repayment plans. If you’re unhappy with your servicer, the only way to switch is by consolidating federal loans or refinancing private loans. This guide explains what servicers do, lists the major players, and walks you through steps to switch or communicate effectively. Whether you have federal or private loans, understanding your servicer is key to staying on top of your student debt. Table of Contents Skip to Section What student loan servicers doStudent loan servicers directoryFormer student loan servicersBest and worst student loan servicersFrequently asked questions What student loan servicers do Student loan servicers act as the middlemen between you and your lender, handling the administrative tasks associated with managing your loans. For federal student loans, the Department of Education assigns a servicer to manage your account. For private student loans, your lender may service the loans in-house or contract with a third-party servicer to take care of the day-to-day management. Here’s what servicers typically do:: Disburse funds to you and your school after loan approval. Track your loans while you’re in school, ensuring interest and balances are accurately recorded. Process loan repayment, including collecting payments and updating your balance. Respond to borrower inquiries, helping with account questions or repayment options. Facilitate repayment plan changes, processing applications for income-driven or other repayment plans. Manage deferment and forbearance, pausing payments when you qualify. Maintain loan records to ensure accurate reporting of your education debt. Ensure compliance with federal or lender-specific regulations. Essentially, your servicer is your main point of contact for anything related to your loan’s management. While servicers don’t set your loan terms—that’s up to your lender—they play a critical role in keeping your repayment process running smoothly. Tip To find your student loan servicer, log in StudentAid.gov for federal loans. For private loans, check with your lender or review your loan statements. Also read our guide: Who is my student loan servicer? List of student loan servicers You can learn more about federal student loan servicers—and determine which servicer handles your loans—through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). You can also see a list of student loan servicers below. American Education Services Edfinancial Heartland ECSI Student Loans Mohela Nelnet Oklahoma Student Loan Authority (OSLA Servicing American Education Services Learn More What to know AES, operated by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), services both federal and private loans, with a focus on Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL). While it has received minimal complaints in recent years, borrowers should note that PHEAA’s federal loan servicing arm has gradually reduced its federal servicing role. Low complaint volume. Decades of experience servicing FFEL loans. Limited public transparency on servicing policies. Contact information EmailSecure email after signing into your account. Phone number800-233-0557AddressSend correspondence to P.O. Box 2461, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2461; send payments to P.O. Box 65093, Baltimore, MD 21264-5093. EdFinancial Learn More What to know EdFinancial has over 25 years of experience as a federal loan servicer, specializing in income-driven repayment (IDR) plan management. However, it has faced high complaint volumes, particularly regarding customer service delays. Expertise in managing complex repayment plans. Accessible borrower support tools online. High volume of untimely complaint resolutions. Mixed customer service reviews. Contact information Email:Via websitePhone number:800-337-6884Address:Send correspondence to P.O. Box 36008; Knoxville, TN 37930-6008; send payments to P.O.Box 4830, Portland, OR 97208-4830. Heartland ECSI Learn More What to know Heartland ECSI specializes in servicing private loans, Perkins loans, and institutional loans for schools. It focuses on helping borrowers navigate repayment, but its relatively small role in the student loan industry contributes to its low complaint volume. Low number of complaints. Experienced in servicing specialized loans. Limited borrower protections compared to federal servicers. Interface can feel outdated. Contact information EmailVia websitePhone number+1 (888) 549-3274AddressECSI, P.O. Box 1289, Moon Township, PA 15108. MOHELA Learn More What to know MOHELA is a student loan servicer with more than 530 employees dedicated to providing support to federal student loan borrowers. MOHELA is one of the largest federal loan servicers, recently taking over loans from Navient. While it handles a high volume of accounts, it also ranks among the worst servicers for complaints. Borrowers commonly cite poor communication and delays in processing requests. Large-scale federal loan management. Offers a variety of repayment options. High complaint volume. Delays in addressing borrower issues. Contact information EmailVia websitePhone number888-866-4352 AddressSend correspondence to 633 Spirit Drive, Chesterfield, MO 63005-1243; see payment address when you’re logged into your account. Nelnet Learn More What to know Nelnet is a major player in the student loan industry, servicing both federal and private loans. It also owns subsidiaries like Great Lakes Educational Loan Services. While it offers robust online tools, it has faced significant criticism for poor customer service and account errors. Comprehensive online tools for managing loans. Handles a large share of federal loans. Frequent complaints about account errors and delays. Complex organizational structure can confuse borrowers. Contact information EmailVia websitePhone number888-486-4722AddressSend correspondence to P.O. Box 82561, Lincoln, NE 68501-2561; send payments to P.O. Box 2837, Portland, OR 97208-2837. Oklahoma Student Loan Authority (OSLA Servicing) Learn More What to know OSLA services federal student loans and has been recognized for its customer service. Borrowers generally report positive experiences, and the servicer boasts a low complaint volume compared to larger counterparts. Low complaint volume. Personalized customer support. Smaller scale compared to other servicers. Contact information Email[email protected]Phone number866-264-9762AddressSend correspondence to P.O. Box 18475, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-0475; send payments to P.O. Box 4278, Portland, OR 97208-4278. What to know about former student loan servicers Some well-known student loan servicers have transitioned their accounts to other companies: Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.: Great Lakes is no longer servicing loans, as its accounts have been transferred to Nelnet. Learn more about this transition in our review. Navient: Navient has exited the federal student loan servicing space, with its accounts now handled by MOHELA. Find out what this means for borrowers in our review. If your servicer changed, it’s important to stay updated on your new account details and servicing process. Visit the links above for everything you need to know. Which student loan servicer is best? We reviewed feedback from forums and general sentiment toward student loan servicers, and the consensus is largely negative. That said, individual experiences often vary—borrowers who make on-time payments and stay on top of their loans tend to report fewer issues. However, some servicers have received significantly more complaints over the past year, indicating larger problems for many borrowers. Here’s what we found based on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint data since November 28, 2023. CategoryServicerNumber of complaintsBestAES3ECSI8OSLA3WorstEdFinancial1,156MOHELA4,959Nelnet1,935 The best servicers Some servicers clearly stand out for keeping borrowers happy: AES only had three complaints, and it resolved all of them on time with clear explanations. ECSI handled just eight complaints, resolving seven quickly and one a little late—but everything was closed with explanations. OSLA had a great track record too, with just three complaints, all resolved on time and thoroughly explained. If you’re working with one of these servicers, chances are your experience will be smooth. The worst servicers Not all servicers are keeping borrowers satisfied: EdFinancial received 1,156 complaints. While most were resolved with explanations, nearly 100 were handled late, and some are still unresolved. MOHELA topped the list with 4,959 complaints. Most were resolved quickly, but two complaints are still in progress—a sign of just how many borrowers are frustrated. Nelnet had 1,935 complaints, and while nearly all were resolved on time, that’s still a lot of issues to manage. If you’re not happy with your servicer, you might want to explore switching by refinancing or consolidating your loans. Understanding which companies handle complaints well can help you decide if your servicer is a good fit for you. Frequently asked questions about student loan servicers Can I change my servicer? For government loans, you are assigned a federal student loan servicer and cannot change your servicer unless you move to a Direct Consolidation Loan with the Department of Education and are assigned a new servicer. Loan consolidation could also simplify your loan repayment process. You can also refinance your federal or private student loans with a new private lender, which has the effect of changing your servicer to the new lender. The best student loan refinancing companies could also help you get a lower monthly payment, a lower interest rate, or both. However, you’ll give up federal borrower protections, such as the opportunity for student loan forgiveness, if you refinance federal loans with a private lender. Read More Should You Refinance Federal Student Loans? If I refinance will I keep my servicer? You cannot generally keep your loan servicer if you refinance, unless you refinance a private student loan with the same private lender. How do I know when my servicer changed? If the Department of Education transfers your loans to a new servicer, you will receive an email or a letter from your new servicer. You will also receive a welcome letter once your loan information has been transferred.