Aidvantage Student Loans: Forgiveness & Repayment Options

Out of nowhere, your federal loans were transferred to Aidvantage. Now you’re left with questions: Who is Aidvantage? Are they legitimate? What repayment plans do they offer? Can your loans be forgiven? The list goes on.

Ahead, we’ll explain who Aidvantage is and break down its role in federal student loan servicing. We’ll explore the various repayment options available and offer a clear guide to loan forgiveness opportunities.

Aidvantage is a student loan servicer specializing in managing federal student loans. Its primary role is managing borrowers’ accounts, correctly processing payments, and offering guidance on repayment options. Aidvantage is not a lender. Instead, it serves as a conduit between borrowers and the Department of Education, making sure loan repayments are handled efficiently.

Role as a Loan Servicer

Aidvantage manages federal student loan accounts as a loan servicer. The company provides a suite of services, including:

• Helping borrowers understand their repayment options.

• Guiding them through loan consolidation processes.

• Ensuring timely payments.

Aidvantage is a unit of Maximus Education, a government contractor. The company became one of the largest loan servicers in the U.S. after taking over 5.6 million federal student loan accounts from Navient in October 2021. While exact market share details are not readily available, Aidvantage is recognized as part of the “Big Four” loan servicers, which also include EdFinancial, MOHELA, and Nelnet.

Background and Market Position

Born out of Navient’s decision to transfer its federal student loan accounts, Aidvantage quickly ascended to prominence in the loan servicing landscape. The federal student loan market, worth $1.7 trillion, serves 43 million borrowers, making Aidvantage a key player in this significant sector.

Aidvantage is a federal loan servicer approved by Federal Student Aid (FSA), a division of the Department of Education. This official status enables it to manage Direct loans and Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) Loans on behalf of the FSA.

Aidvantage does not service or lend private student loans.

Yes, Aidvantage is a legitimate company. As a division of Maximus, it is one of the nine approved federal student loan servicers. Borrowers can trust Aidvantage to manage their federal student loan debt effectively and in compliance with applicable regulations.

Aidvantage offers a range of repayment plans designed to accommodate the unique financial circumstances of federal student loan borrowers. Below is a table that outlines these options, from fixed-term plans to more flexible, income-driven alternatives.

• Standard and Extended Plans: You can choose a Standard 10-year plan with fixed payments or an Extended 25-year plan if you need a longer repayment period.

• Graduated and Income-Driven Plans: For those looking for more flexible options, Aidvantage offers Graduated repayment plans and several Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans like the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Income-Based Repayment (IBR).

Related: New Income-Driven Repayment Plan

Additional Payment Features

• Autopay Benefits: To streamline payments, consider signing up for autopay. This enables automatic monthly deductions from your bank account and reduces your interest rate by 0.25%.

• Postponing Payments: If you face financial hardship, Aidvantage can guide you through applying for deferments or forbearances.

Reporting income to Aidvantage is crucial if you’re enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan. You can self-report your income through a document and choose the “I’ll provide my own income information” option when completing the request. For more assistance, Aidvantage’s customer service can be reached at 1-800-722-1300.

Consolidating your loans through Aidvantage can simplify your monthly payments and may even lower your interest rate.

• Federal Loan Consolidation: To start federal loan consolidation, apply online at studentaid.gov. You can select the loans to consolidate and choose a repayment plan during the application. Aidvantage will then manage your consolidated loans and ensure timely payments.

• Interest Rate Calculation: The interest rate for a consolidated loan is a weighted average of the interest rates on the loans being combined, rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent.

• Private Loan Refinancing: If you’re considering refinancing with a private lender, know that you will lose federal benefits like income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness options. But student loan refinancing can lower your interest rate and adjust your repayment terms — especially if you have a good credit score.

Aidvantage student loans are eligible for the following student loan forgiveness programs:

• Income-Driven Repayment Forgiveness: Extend your repayment term to 20 or 25 years. After your final payment, any leftover loan balance gets forgiven. Plus, good news! Aidvantage loans are eligible for the Education Department’s newly launched IDR Waiver. This program grants you credit toward IBR Forgiveness for the time in any student loan repayment plan, specific deferment periods before 2013, and years in forbearance, including the recent three-year pandemic-related payment pause.

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): Serving the public? If you work full-time for a government or nonprofit organization, you could have your Direct Loan balance cleared after 120 qualifying payments. For those with FFELP Loans, consider consolidating them to become eligible for PSLF. Bonus: Payments made during full-time public service may count towards forgiveness under a limited PSLF waiver until Oct. 31, 2022.

• Teacher Loan Forgiveness: Educators, take note! If you’re teaching in a Title I school, you could wipe out up to $18,500 of your federal student loan debt after just five years of service.

• Total and Permanent Disability Discharge: Should you face medical issues that prevent you from working, as confirmed by a medical doctor, the SSA, or the VA, your entire student loan debt could be eligible for cancellation.

• Closed School Discharge: Did your school close its doors? If you were enrolled when it happened, or it closed shortly after you left, you might be eligible to have your student loan balance wiped out.

Originally, Aidvantage student loans were on the list for potential relief under President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan. This initiative aimed to erase millions of Americans’ partial or full loan balances. But the Supreme Court struck that plan down last summer.

PSLF Eligibility

To qualify for PSLF, you must meet these criteria:

• Have Direct Loans

• Work full-time for a qualifying employer (e.g., government or nonprofit)

• Make 120 qualifying payments

• Submit the Employment Certification Form (ECF) yearly or when changing employers

Income-Driven Repayment Forgiveness Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• Be enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan

• Make qualifying payments for 20 or 25 years

• Have a remaining loan balance after the final payment, which will then be forgiven

Applying for PSLF

1. Enroll in a qualifying repayment plan

2. Secure full-time employment with a qualifying employer

3. Make 120 qualifying payments

4. Annually submit the ECF or do so when changing employers

5. Apply for PSLF through studentaid.gov, using the PSLF application form

Applying for Income-Driven Repayment Forgiveness

1. Enroll in an income-driven repayment plan

2. Make qualifying payments for the required number of years

3. After the final payment, any remaining loan balance will be forgiven

Required Documents

• For PSLF, submit the ECF yearly or when you change employers

• For Income-Driven Repayment Forgiveness, provide proof of income when enrolling in the plan.

Navigating the world of student loan servicers can be daunting, especially when your loans get transferred. Here’s what you need to know about Aidvantage compared to Navient and OSLA.

Why OSLF Changed to Aidvantage

The transition from Navient and OSLA to Aidvantage is part of a broader effort by the U.S. Department of Education to improve loan servicing for federal borrowers. Navient ended its contract with the Department and transferred its federal loans to Aidvantage, while OSLA completed its transfer by summer 2023.

• What to Expect During the Transition: If your loans were with Navient or OSLA, expect to receive notices via email or postal mail about the transition. Read these notices carefully and follow any instructions provided.

• Customer Service and Support: Aidvantage has taken over the customer service responsibilities for loans transferred from Navient and OSLA. For any loan-related questions, borrowers should now contact Aidvantage.

• Loan Terms and Conditions: the terms, conditions, and interest rates of your loans will not change due to the transition. Any temporary benefits like payment suspension and 0% interest due to the coronavirus emergency will also remain in effect.

• Timeline of the Transition: Navient transferred its federal loans to Aidvantage in 2021, and OSLA completed its transfer by summer 2023. Keep this timeline in mind as you manage your loans.

Related: Is Nelnet and Navient the Same?

Benefits of Choosing Aidvantage

• Improved Customer Service: There are high expectations that Aidvantage will offer more robust customer support compared to Navient, which faced legal and regulatory challenges due to its loan management practices.

• Continued Federal Benefits: With Aidvantage, you will continue to have access to federal benefits like income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.

• Smooth Transition Guarantee: Aidvantage aims to ensure a smooth transition process for borrowers, without affecting the existing terms or conditions of the loans.

Aidvantage customer service representatives are available Monday-Thursday, 8 am-9 pm EST, and Friday, 8 am-8 pm EST.

Looking for your Aidvantage account number? There are a few easy ways to find it:

1. Monthly Billing Statement: Check your most recent monthly billing statement. Your Aidvantage account number will be listed there.

2. Online Account: Log in to your account on the Aidvantage website. Once logged in, you’ll be able to see your account number displayed on your dashboard.

3. Customer Support: If you’re still having trouble finding your account number or need further help, please reach out to Aidvantage customer service for help.

Choose the method that’s most convenient for you, and you’ll have your account number quickly!

How to report issues with Aidvantage:

• Federal Student Aid Ombudsman: 877-557-2575 or by mail at U.S. Department of Education, FSA Ombudsman Group, P.O. Box 1843, Monticello, KY 42633

• FSA Feedback Center: You can submit a complaint to the Feedback Center after you’ve worked with the Ombudsman group.

• State Consumer Protection Office: You can file a complaint with your state’s consumer protection division, which is typically a subdivision of your state attorneys general office. That office is responsible for making sure you’re protected from fraud, deception, misrepresentations, and false promises.

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: If all else fails, you can also submit a complaint to the CFPB. They are a third-party government agency that helps consumers solve issues with financial products, including student loans.