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UCLA Student Loan Services and Collections

Financial Education, Loan and Support Services

Welcome to UCLA Student Loan Services and Collections

Please visit our Contact Us page for the latest information on our office hours.

Welcome to FELSS!

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 and help with disbursement issues and budget counseling. It also responsible for providing online exit loan counseling for student borrowers 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) (formerly Collections)

Debt Management Services 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.

Loan Repayment and COVID-19

Perkins, Regents, Dream, or Health Professional Loans
If you have a question regarding the repayment of your Perkins, Regents, Dream or Health Professional Loans, please call ECSI at (888) 549-3274 or visit them online at https://heartland.ecsi.net/ for assistance.

Deferment Forms
Forms for deferments can be found on the ECSI website. You can also e-mail your UCLA debt counselor (based on the first letter of your last name following the table below) or visit the Contact Us page for phone and Zoom hours of Debt Management Services (formerly the Collections Office) to discuss your campus-based loan details.

If your last name starts with: Counselor Email
A - Gz Pooya Khodadadi pkhodadadi@saonet.ucla.edu
H - On Joseph Meyers jmeyers@saonet.ucla.edu
Oo - Zz Lily Ball lball@saonet.ucla.edu

Announcements and Updates

  • Student Loan Repayment Options Webinar
    With payments resuming on federal student loans this fall, 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 now available at https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/understanding-your-student-loan-repayment-options, along with links to resources and select information.

    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.

    As a reminder, if you have questions about your federal student loans, you should first reach out to your loan servicer or to the U.S. Department of Education at fsaengagement@ed.gov.

  • 2023 Fall Disbursement
    Financial Aid for 2023 Fall will disburse to Bruin Bill no earlier than the evening of Monday, September 18, 2023.

  • E-Sign Your Loan Documents
    E-Sign is the process by which campus-based loan documents are signed electronically. The loan documents involved are those associated with the University/Regents, Dream, and health profession type loan programs. After accepting any of these loan types, an email is sent within 2 to 3 business days by ECSI to the potential borrower. This email informs the student that the electronic loan documents are ready to e-sign as well as contains a personal ECSI PIN and a hyperlink to the E-Sign Portal page located on the UCLA Student Loan Services & Collections website.

    If you have received an email informing you that your University/Regents, Dream, and/or health profession type loan document(s) are available and you wish to e-sign them, please proceed to the E-Sign Portal.

    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.


  • Student Loans and Co-Signer Requirements
    Please note that University/Regents/campus-based loans offered to UCLA students on their Financial Aid Notification (FAN) do NOT require co-signers. (However, a student who wishes to take out a University/Regents/campus-based loan and is under 18 years of age MUST have a cosigner BY LAW.)

    Any private student loans obtained through outside lending institutions (such as banks, credit unions, etc.) may require a co-signer. Applicants for such loans will need to discuss this with the lending institution's representative.

    Also, be aware that an endorser (or “co-signer”) may be required on a Federal PLUS Loan depending on the applicant's credit history. Granting an exception to this requirement is outside of the school's control.

    No matter what type of loan you may be pursuing, always read the promissory note prior to signing it in order to fully understand the terms and conditions as well as your rights and responsibilities regarding the loan contract.


Features

  • Complete your University/Regents and heath profession type loan documents online using the 'E-Sign Portal'. If you 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.

  • 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?!? MyLoanData will have the answers. Trying to not over borrow? Budgeting your finances in the present in order to build a better economic future? As a student loan borrower, in building that budget, it is important to know the amount of your loan debt BEFORE accepting FAN offers. Utilizing various sources, MyLoanData gives you access to your disbursed student loan information and more. Start off right. Visit MyLoanData today.



Important Topics

  • Student Debt Relief Plan Explained
    The Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) have announced a three-part plan to help working and middle-class federal student loan borrowers transition back to regular payment as pandemic-related support expires. This plan includes loan forgiveness of up to $20,000. Many borrowers and families may be asking themselves “what do I have to do to claim this relief?” For an answer to this question and more, visit the U. S. Department of Education's webpage dedicated to this topic at https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/ for information.

    Are current students eligible for this special loan forgiveness?
    Federal student loans awarded to current students as well as graduates with federally-held undergraduate, graduate and Parent PLUS loans are eligible, so long as the loans were fully disbursed by June 30, 2022.

    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.

  • A "Fresh Start" for Borrowers in Default
    On April 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced an initiative called "Fresh Start" to help federal student loan borrowers who find themselves in default on their federal student loans. Those who are eligible will temporarily regain several student aid benefits as well as get the opportunity to get out of default and keep those benefits for the long term. For details and instructions, visit the DOE's website at https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/default-fresh-start today! Please note that Fresh Start will continue on for only one year after the COVID-19 Payment Pause ends on December 31, 2022. For those in default on their federal student loans -- take this opportunity to get a fresh start with Fresh Start.


  • Repayment Options Made Easy
    To assist federal student loan borrowers facing repayment, a new web-based tool to help borrowers navigate the complexity of student loan repayment choices has been created called the Loan Simulator.

    The online, interactive, information-only tool is geared to help student borrowers find their best repayment option in just a few steps. It also provides information on the ‘next steps’ to take. You can use the online tool without logging in to the site. Access this new tool by clicking the “Loan Simulator” link found on the StudentLoans.gov/Repay page.


  • 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.