On the Manage Loans page of the Federal Student Aid website, you can check your Federal student loan history, including disbursement amounts and dates, and your assigned loan servicers. Your total loan debt includes all outstanding loan principal and interest, plus any additional service fees charged by your servicer. This data should be checked, as you would all credit history, for updates and errors.

Since some student loans accumulate interest while in school, during grace periods, and while in deferment or forbearance and repayment, the total debt may increase with time.

Read Preparing For Repayment to make sure you are ready.

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans have a six-month grace period. During the grace period, you do not need to make any payments on your loans. Your grace period begins once you drop below half-time enrollment; this includes graduating or withdrawing from the university.

The pause on federal student loan payments and interest expired on September 1, 2023, and loan repayment resumed in October 2023.

Please remember: there is no penalty for repaying your student loan early.

Many factors influence the monthly payment amount, total payout and length of repayment including:

• Amount borrowed
• Origination or other fees
• Interest rate
• Type of repayment plan

Monthly payments can be estimated using the Federal Student Aid Repayment Simulator. Several different options exist for repayment plans to suit a variety of financial situations. Read How to Pick the Right Repayment Plan for tips on choosing what is best for you.  For details on repayment plans available, please visit StudentAid.gov.

Your loan will be held by an organization called a servicer; this is who you will send your monthly payments to. Visit the Manage Loans page on the Federal Student Aid website to find out who your servicer is. You should be notified by each servicer of all repayment information.

Unfortunately, student loan repayment scams are on the rise. Read these Tips for Avoiding Student Aid Scams and check out this video on how to stay safe.

When it comes time to repay your federal student loan(s), if a payment is missed the loan(s) become past due, or delinquent.  If the loan(s) remain delinquent for 90 days or more, your loan servicer will report the delinquency to the three major credit bureaus.  This may affect your ability to sign up for utilities, get a cell phone plan, or get approved to rent an apartment. 

If the loan(s) remain in delinquency for at least 270 days, they will be considered in default.  Consequences of default include, but are not limited to:

• Inability to apply for periods of deferment or forbearance
• Loss of eligibility for additional federal student aid
• Withholding of tax refunds
• Wage garnishment

The U.S. Department of Education releases official cohort default rates once per year.  A cohort default rate is the percentage of a school's borrowers who enter repayment on certain Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans during a particular federal fiscal year (FY), October 1st to September 30th, and default or meet other specified conditions prior to the end of the second following fiscal year. The FY 2021 national cohort default rate is 0.0%. Please visit Federal Student Aid’s Official Cohort Default Rate webpage and enter 003632 for the OPEID to view Texas A&M University’s cohort default rate by fiscal year. 

For more information on understanding default, please visit Federal Student Aid’s Student Loan Delinquency and Default webpage.

On June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court blocked the Student Loan Debt Relief program. The pause on federal student loan payments and interest expired on September 1, 2023, and payments resumed in October 2023. Learn more:

• Find up-to-date information from the Federal Student Aid Office of the U.S. Department of Education main page or the One-time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief page.
• Review How to prepare for successful student loan Repayment
• Read the Repaying Your Loans brochure from the Federal Student Aid Office of the U.S. Department of Education.
• The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan is the newest income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. Like other IDR plans, the SAVE Plan calculates your monthly payment amount based on your income and family size. The SAVE Plan provides the lowest monthly payments of any IDR plan available to nearly all student borrowers.

*Note: Aggie One Stop cannot advise a student as to who their loan servicer is or how much they borrowed. Borrowers should log in to studentaid.gov to view their loan history and find contact information for their loan servicer. 

For information on how much you owe, contact the lender for each alternative loan. You can also see what you have borrowed while at Texas A&M on the Student Loan Debt Summary, found on the "Helpful Links" page in your Financial Aid Portal. Alternative Loans will not show up in the National Student Loans Data System.

Many factors can affect the monthly payment amount, total payout and length of repayment including:

• Amount borrowed
• Origination or other fees
• Interest rate
• Type of repayment plan

Repayment terms for Alternative Loans will differ based on the lender and terms of your loan. The promissory note that you signed for your loan will contain your repayment terms, options, and responsibilities. Many lenders offer incentives for timely repayment and options for repayment plans. Some lenders also have options to delay payment on your loans (deferment), or temporarily stop or reduce your required payment (forbearance).

You will repay the lender that you took out the alternative loan with.

You can find the balance that is owed on your College Access Loan by signing in to your Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board account.

Many factors can affect the monthly payment amount, total payout and length of repayment including:

• Amount borrowed
• Origination or other fees (if applicable)
• Interest rate
• Type of repayment plan

Loan balances under $30,000 have up to a ten-year repayment period with minimum monthly payments of $50. Loan balances of $30,000 or more have a repayment period up to 20 years.

College Access Loans have a six-month grace period. During the grace period, you do not need to make any payments on your loans. Your grace period begins once you drop below half-time enrollment; this includes graduating or withdrawing from the university.

Please remember: there is no penalty for repaying your student loan early.

Your College Access Loan is repaid to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

You can find the balance that is owed on your FORWARD loan by signing in to your Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board account.

Many factors can affect the monthly payment amount, total payout and length of repayment including:

• Amount borrowed
• Origination or other fees (if applicable)
• Interest rate
• Type of repayment plan

FORWARD Loan borrowers will have up to a ten-year repayment period.

FORWARD Loans have a six-month grace period. During the grace period, you do not need to make any payments on your loans. Your grace period begins once you drop below half-time enrollment: this includes graduating or withdrawing from the university.
There is no penalty for repaying your student loan early. 

Your FORWARD Loan is repaid to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

You may view your loan balance, make payments, and learn about repayment options by clicking on the Borrower/Student image at the center of the Heartland ECSI homepage.

Health Professions Student Loans and Loans for Disadvantaged Students have a twelve-month grace period. During the grace period, you do not need to make any payments on your loans. Your grace period begins once you drop below half-time enrollment; this includes graduating or withdrawing from the university.

Please remember: there is no penalty for repaying your student loan early.

Many factors influence the monthly payment amount, total payout and length of repayment including:

• Amount borrowed
• Interest rate
• Type of repayment plan
• Other fees, such as late payment charges

You can contact Heartland ECSI for more information on estimated monthly payments.

Health Professions Student Loans and Loans for Disadvantaged Students are repaid to Texas A&M University through Heartland ECSI.

• Customer Contact Number: (888) 549-3274
• ECSI Website: www.heartlandecsi.com
  • (Texas A&M University’s School Code is RM)

You can visit your MyAggieLoans Portal to view balances from Emergency Tuition and Fees Loans (ETFL) and Short Term Loans (STL).

For Emergency Tuition and Fees Loans:

• Fall/Spring loans are due about 90 days after the loan is applied to your student billing account.
• Summer loans are due about 30 days after the loan is applied to your student billing account.

For Short-Term Loans:

• You select the length of your repayment period on your loan application; this period can be anywhere between one and twelve months long.

For the exact due date on your ETFL or STL, check MyAggieLoans Portal.

If your loan is not paid in full by the due date, registration will be blocked until the account is paid in full. Past due loans are subject to collection fees, attorney fees, higher interest rates, as well as negative credit reports to national credit bureaus. You may contact Student Business Services via telephone at 979-847-3337 for questions about your loan repayment.

The entire balance of the loan is due by the set due date, but there are no monthly payments required on either of these loans. There are no penalties for repaying your loan before the due date.

Please repay ETFLs and STLs via your MyAggieLoans Portal . Repayment terms are fixed for the semester in which you request the loan. All payments will be due on the 15th day of the month.

Depending on timing, your financial aid refund could apply toward your ETFL balance, but this is not always the case. It is your responsibility to use any refunds issued to you to repay your ETFL by the due date.