Student Loans, Who do You Owe

One of the most common, student loan questions we receive at American Financial Solutions is, how do I find out information about my student loans? Where you find the information about your student loans may vary depending on the types of loans you have. You can find information about your most student loans, including your balance, by contacting your student loan servicer. The servicer is the business that sends you statements, accepts payments on your loans and may help you determine repayment plans available to you.

If you are not sure who your servicer is or the type of loans you have, below, are the two resources to check.

Federal Student Loans

The definitive source for information on your federal student loans is the U.S. Department of Education's site StudentAid.gov. From this site you can download and/or view the federal student loans and grants you hae received. The site shows who your loan servicer is, the amount of the loans, interest and much more information. From this site you can also apply for student loan consolidations and submit information for income driven repayment plans. 

Private Student Loans

To find out information on your private student loans, you’ll need to contact each of your private student loan servicers to determine your total loan balance or check your credit report.

Unlike federal student loans, there is not a single website that contains information about all of your private student loans. Your private student loans will not be listed on the Student Aid website because the system shows only your federal student loans, not your private student loans.

If you do not know about private student loans you might have, request a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com. Private student lenders may report your loans to credit reporting agencies even while you’re still in school or in deferment.

If you need more assistance determining what agency is managing your student loans or what payment options are available on your loans, there are places that can help. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a wealth of information and resources on their website here. You may also contact a non-profit credit counseling agency, like American Financial Solutions, for individual student loan counseling.

Information compiled from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website.

Published Mar 26, 2020.