Have you lost your loan promissory notes? Did you attend another college or two before attending UCLA and you cannot remember the type of loan or the lender? Help is available!
Federal Student Aid (FSA)
The US Department of Education maintains a central database of student aid that allows you to access Direct, Stafford and/or Perkins Loan outstanding balances, loan statuses, and disbursements. The PELL Grant Program and other US Department of Education programs are also on file. To view your Federal student loans such as a Direct Student Loan, Direct Grad PLUS, Stafford Loan, and Grad PLUS, you will need to go to the Federal Student Aid website, using the following directions:
STEP 1: Go to https://studentaid.gov to begin.
STEP 2: Log in with your FSA ID. (If you do not have one, you may create one by selecting the ‘Create Account’ link located under the 'Log In' button. Your FSA ID serves as your electronic signature and provides access to your personal records with US Department of Education systems. It may take two to three business days after making your request to receive e-mail instructions on how to retrieve your FSA ID electronically. When finally obtained, keep your FSA ID in a safe and secure place. With your FSA ID acquired, proceed to STEP 3.)
STEP 3: In the box marked 'My Aid' click on the 'View Details' link.
STEP 4: Under the 'Loans' tab, click on the 'View Breakdown' link.
STEP 5: After the screen auto-scrolls to the bottom, click on the 'View Loans' button.
Your loan history should display on the screen for you to review.
Please note that studentaid.gov will also display some of your UC/campus-based student loans such as a Perkins Loan (FFELP) and various health profession related loans (Loans for Disadvantaged Students, Health Professions Student Loan, Primary Care Loan, and Nursing Student Loan), but not necessarily all your UC/campus-based student loans.
Federal Student Aid information Center
To find out which lenders hold your Stafford, Direct and/or Perkins Loan(s), contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center.
STEP 1: Call (800) 433-3243. Listen to the telephone menu and select option '3'; and when prompted, say the word 'LOANS' to obtain information on your existing student loans and lenders.
STEP 2: Have your FSA ID ready in order to access your data.
Campus-Based Loans
Your campus-based loans are administered by the college(s) where you received the loan funds. For inquiries regarding UCLA loans, contact ECSI at (888) 549-3274 or at www.heartland.ecsi.net. For institutions other than UCLA, contact the Financial Aid Office or Loan Office of the institution you attended or their servicer.
Credit Bureau Reports
You can also request a credit report from a credit bureau. One free credit report can be obtained annually from each of the three reporting agencies by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com and applying. (There will be a charge for this service if you have already received your free report for the year.) Your Stafford, Direct and Perkins Loans will be listed in your credit history. If you have private/alternative loans, a credit report is the best resource of loan and/or lender information. To obtain a credit report from one of these credit bureaus, you can call or log onto:
Equifax
(866) 349-5191
www.equifax.com
Experian
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
(800) 916-8800
www.transunion.com
MyLoanData
The offices of Student Loan Services & Collections have developed MyLoanData to assist you in reviewing the federal (Direct, Perkins, Stafford, Grad PLUS, Direct Grad PLUS, Health Profession Loans, etc.) and University of California (UC)/campus-based loans you borrowed during your studies at UCLA as well as any other loan/debt you may have acquired. When accessing MyLoanData, you should have available:
- Your FSA pin (to access your Federal Student Aid website information)
- Your Social Security number (to access your AnnualCreditReport information)
MyLoanData also includes important information and links pertaining to graduate, professional, and transfer students, as well as loan consolidation. To access MyLoanData:
STEP 1: Go to financialeducation.ucla.edu.
STEP 2: Click on the More Information button found in the Loan Services section.
STEP 2: Click on the MyLoanData tab.
STEP 4: Follow the instructions.
(UCLA attempts to provide up-to-date information in our Bruin Dollars and $ense How To Series. Please be aware that the content of this document is based upon information that was correct at the time of publication. All information pertaining to and gathered from both UCLA and other sources is subject to change without notice.)