Visit our Contact Us page for the latest information on our office hours.
The UCLA Department of Financial Education, Loan and Support Services (FELSS), formerly Student Loan Services & Collections, consists of the following units:
Financial Wellness (FW)
Handling finances isn't necessarily fun, especially if you are not accustomed to managing your money....by yourself! The mission of UCLA Financial Wellness is to empower all Bruins to confidently navigate their finances in a way that supports their overall well-being. For more information, go to our Contact Us page; or visit the UCLA Financial Wellness website, and begin improving your level of financial literacy.
Loan Services (LS)
Loan Services is responsible for administering long-term educational loans and private/auxiliary loans as well as campus-based loans. Our office provides online entrance loan counseling for campus-based loans, help with disbursement issues and budget counseling. It is also responsible for providing online exit loan counseling for student borrowers of campus-based loans who drop below half-time status. In addition, Loan Services offers interest-free short-term loans to qualifying, registered students.
Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT)
Economic Crisis Response (ECR) provides support and guidance to students who have self-identified, or are identified by UCLA faculty or staff, as experiencing a financial crisis that impacts their academic success at UCLA. For more information, go to our Contact Us page; or visit the Economic Crisis Response webpage. If you are experiencing a financial crisis beyond your already available financial aid resources and want to request an assessment of available resources to assist with your needs, contact the ECR team.
Debt Management Services (DMS)
Debt Management Services (formerly Collections) provides counseling for Bruins repaying their federal student loans and those with outstanding debt with the University. Our office works with students, graduates, and Bruins of all kinds to find the best way to bring (and keep) their loans current as well as provide repayment options to fit any budget. For further information regarding the assistance we offer, start on the Repayment page.
Basic Needs at Strathmore (BN@Strath)
Basic Needs at Strathmore, located in the Strathmore Building, room 106, offers students personal care and well-being support in partnership with various other units and campus departments. The FELSS units of Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT), Financial Wellness (FW), and Loan Services (LS) also reside at the same location, with each providing financial education-related services and programs, meal support services, loan counseling, economic crisis support, short-term loans, personal care support and referrals accordingly, alongside BN@Strath services and study/relaxation space. For more information, go to our Contact Us page.
Announcements & Updates
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FELSS Hours of Operation
For general information and hours of operation for each of the units of FELSS, please visit our 'Contact Us' page at https://loans.ucla.edu/contact-us.
Features
- Complete your University/Regents and heath profession type loan documents online using the 'E-Sign Portal'. If you have accepted offers of any of these types of loans, and then have been notified by email of the online availability of your promissory note(s), you can begin the e-sign process as found on our E-Sign Portal page. (If you need to electronically sign a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note, for your convenience you can also access the process to do so through the E-Sign Portal.)
- Learn more about 'How To Obtain a Short-Term Loan' and a variety of other topics by exploring the "How To Series".
- Increase your financial literacy! Check out the Money and You page for helpful information on how to better understand and manage your funds. Also, check out the UCLA Financial Wellness Program website for more on improving your financial literacy.
- How much did I borrow? Who is my lender? As a student loan borrower, it is important to know the amount of your loan debt before accepting FAN offers. MyLoanData gives you access to your disbursed student loan information, and more.
Important Topics
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Student Loan Repayment Options Webinar
The University of California and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid held a free ZOOM webinar on July 27, 2023 regarding new repayment options, in order to help federal student loan borrowers in making the best choice for their situation. The webinar recording is available online.In the webinar, hear directly from the U.S. Department of Education about what the restart of federal student loan interest and payments means, as well as the repayment options that may be available to you.
The webinar addresses income-driven repayment plans, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and other programs that can help make student loan debt more manageable. Knowing your options could help you save thousands of dollars and discharge outstanding loans much sooner than you might realize.
- Can borrowers get a refund on payments made during payment pause?
The DOE says that borrowers who made payments (including auto-debit payments) on federally-held loans during the COVID payment pause, which began on March 13, 2020, can request a refund via their loan servicer. Go to the DOE's website at https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/covid-19/payment-pause-zero-interest for further information.
- For Borrowers in Default
The US Department of Education (DOE) provides help for federal student loan borrowers who find themselves in default on their federal student loans. Visit their default page for details.
- Repayment Options Made Easy
The Department of Education provides an incredibly useful Loan Simulator to help you determine how much your loan payments would be under each repayment option they offer.
- Should I Consolidate My Student Loans?
Find out more about the benefits and drawbacks by visiting the Loan Consolidation page and the Repayment Plans page before making any decisions.