Toll-Free Federal Loan Locator Hotline 1-800-433-3243
This number (1-800-433-3243) allows you access to a database that keeps track of all federal education loans ever taken out under your name and social security number. Here you can learn:
- how many loans you have and what lenders they are at
- phone contact info for most lenders
- how much you initially took the loan out for
- how much you have left to pay back on the loan
- what type of loans you have
The National Student Loan Data System
www.nslds.ed.gov
The National Student Loan Data System (www.nslds.ed.gov) keeps track of the current balances all your federal student grants and loans (Stafford, Perkins, Pell, Smart, etc). To log in, click on Financial Aid Review.
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| Screen-cap of NSLDS highlighting the Financial Aid Review tab |
You will be led through several screens that announces you will be asked for private information and details how this information will be secured on an internet connection. To log-in, you will be prompted for
- your social security number
- your birthday
- the first two letters of your last name
- your federal PIN number from your FAFSA
- to get a new PIN or reset a lost PIN, visit www.pin.ed.gov Please note it will take several days to get a PIN--plan accordingly!
www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov
www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov is a basic informational website on federal student loans for students (pre-college, during college, and after college), parents, schools, and lenders. You can get to NSLDS from here.
Sallie Mae
1-888-272-5543
www.salliemae.com
Sallie Mae is one of the big loan lenders. Even if you don't take out private loans, you might run into them if they handle your federal loans. They handle Stafford loans, as well as some Department of Education loans. Call them up and ask questions---the balance you have with Sallie Mae might be different from the amount of loans they can actually handle for you. For example, you might have $15,000 through Sallie Mae and $5,000 through the Department of Education. When you call up Sallie Mae and get a balance over the phone, they will only tell you of the $15,000. BUT, you can actually pay off the $5,000 Deptartment of Education loan through the same Sallie Mae representative that takes care of your payments on the $15,000 loan. This is a general summary of what I learned with my loans--ask questions to find out what pertains to your loan situation because it is probably different.
www.SallieMae.com allows you to sign up and manage your loans online under the tab "Manage your loans"
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| Screen-cap of SallieMae.com with the Manage Your Loans online log-in area highlighted |
Oberlin Perkins Loans
Karla Sanderson at Oberlin College keeps track of these things and is very helpful.
