Many students use loans as a way to help pay for college. When they have finished school, it is time to pay these loans back. It is important that students understand the terms and repayment responsibilities of their loans. Student loans are very difficult to discharge in bankruptcy, so borrowing choices made now could affect a student for the rest of their life. The federal government wants to make it as easy as possible for students to repay their loans; therefore, repayment terms are often very flexible.
With every loan received, students have rights and responsibilities. Students should review their loan documents before they begin repayment to refresh themselves with their repayment options. If a student is unable to locate their Federal Direct Loan documents, they should log onto the Federal Student Aid website to determine their Federal Direct Loan servicer. Contact information for the various Federal Direct Loan servicers is available on the https://studentloans.gov web site.
It is important for students to keep track of the total amount of loans that they have borrowed. Students can view their federal loan history using the U.S. Department of Education's central database.
There are several loan repayment options that are available to federal student loan borrowers. These options are meant to help students stay on track with loan repayment as their financial situation changes. Students can estimate their monthly loan payment by using the U.S. Department of Education's interactive calculator on the Federal Student Aid website and choosing different repayment options.
If a student ever experiences difficulty in making a loan payment, they should always contact their loan servicer to prevent loan default. The loan servicer will work with the student and explore all options to avoid default.
The Office of Student Financial Aid processes loans, but does not facilitate the repayment of loans. Listed below is contact information for loan repayment questions.
Federal Direct Loans
Log onto the Federal Student Aid website (https://studentloans.gov) to determine your Federal Direct Loan servicer and obtain contact information.
Federal Perkins Loan, Nursing Loan, and Health Professions Loan
University of Iowa Hallway (Emergency) Loans, Institutional, and Law Foundation Loans
Heartland Campus Solutions ECSI (Educational Computer Systems Incorporated) (https://heartland.ecsi.net)
1-888-549-ECSI (3274)
Additional information is available on the University Billing Office web site.
One-on-one meetings with Financial Literacy staff allow resources and tools to be tailored to undergraduate students' unique budgeting, borrowing, and repayment concerns. To set up an individual consultation with Financial Literacy staff, schedule an appointment in MyUI.
- In the Student Information section, click on Advising Appointment
- Choose Office of Student Financial Aid in the dropdown menu and click Schedule Appointment
- Select your appointment reason from the dropdown menu
- Select your time and click Schedule Appointment