The following are loan servicers for federally held loans made through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program.

Whether you’re a student or parent, years away from college or just about to start, the following checklists will help you get ready.

• Elementary School Checklist: Student and parent checklists that start the student on the road to enjoying learning and point the parent to resources for college savings accounts.

• Middle School Checklist: Student and parent checklists that get the student thinking about high school and possible careers and encourage the parent to keep an eye on the student’s progress.

• High School Checklist: Student and parent checklists that help the student focus on succeeding academically and learning about financial aid and provide the parent with tips for supporting the student and participating in the financial aid application process.
  • 9th Grade Checklist
  • 10th Grade Checklist
  • 11th Grade Checklist
  • 12th Grade Checklist

• Grad School Checklist: Checklist to help individuals get prepared for graduate or professional school.
• Adult Student Checklist: Checklist for adults applying to college, including those who left high school before graduating, graduated high school, completed some college courses, or may be in the workforce.

• Getting a Late Start?—Last-minute Checklist: Checklist for anyone who has been accepted at a college and is starting classes soon but hasn’t applied for financial aid yet.
• Planning & Saving for College (Edvest 529): Discover everything you need to know about saving for college, what the Edvest College Savings Plan can do to help, and how to help maximize your savings even on a modest budget.

College students, watch for your school’s financial aid offer explaining your specific individual cost for college.

2015 Wisconsin Act 284, enacted March 28, 2016, requires Wisconsin institutions of higher education to annually provide a letter to all students to inform them of the cost of their education. The letter is required to include specific information about each loan held by a student, including total amount of debt accrued under the loan, the interest rate, standard repayment terms, the estimated monthly payment due under the loan when the repayment period commences, and the amount of interest to be paid over the term of the loan. This information can be a valuable resource to help students plan their financial futures upon graduation. Click for more information on the Wisconsin Student Debt Letter Legislation

Here are three examples of the letters that are sent to the students:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison sample letter
• University of Wisconsin-River Falls sample letter
• Other Sample School letter

You can’t manage your student loan debt unless you understand what you owe and how to pay. Make sure you know the balance on each of your loans, when payments are due, and where to send them. (If your lender offers an electronic payment option, sign up for it if you can. Your payments will never be late, and you may also qualify for a reduced interest rate.)

If you don’t know the basic terms of your student loans, contact your loan servicer. And if you’re not sure who that is — some borrowers have multiple loan servicers — see National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

When it’s time to start paying back your student loans, you’ll probably face a variety of repayment options, from a standard ten-year plan to extended plans that base your payments on how much you earn. Learn about the plans available for each of your loans and choose the options that allow you to get out of debt as fast as possible. Many experts say that your student loan payments shouldn’t exceed 8% to 10% of your gross monthly income. You may want to use that as a rough guide, keeping in mind that if you extend the life of your loans, you’ll significantly increase the amount you pay in the long run.

To compare repayment plans, you can use the Repay Student Debt calculator offered by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Whether you have federal student loans, private loans, or both, this calculator is a great place to start evaluating your repayment options.

The direct loan program offers five different repayment plans:

• Standard Repayment – The borrower will pay a fix amount each month for the life of the loan.  The payment would be determined by your borrowed amount, interest rate, and term of the loan.
• Graduated Repayment – The borrower would make payments lower than the standard repayment plan, but would gradually increase every two years.
• Income Contingent(ICR) – In this plan, the borrower would make payments based on their income, family size, loan balance, and interest rate. Borrowers in the ICR can have a payment as low as $0.00/mo.
• Income Based(IBR) – This plan bases the borrowers payment strictly on their income and family size.  The balance of the loan and interest rate are not used in calculating the monthly payment.  The borrower would be responsible to pay 15% of their discretionary income to their federal student loans. Borrowers in the IBR can have a payment as low as $0.00/mo.
• Pay As You Earn(PAYE) – This plan usually has the lowest monthly payment, and is also based on your income but uses 10% of your discretionary income as a payment instead of the 15% used in IBR.  Qualifying for the PAYE repayment plan is more difficult than the others. Borrowers in the PAYE can have a payment as low as $0.00/mo.

A Guide to Paying Off Student Loans

• Income-Based Repayment Plans: After 20-25 years of qualifying payments in one of the U.S. Department of Education’s income-based repayment plans, your loan balance is forgiven.
• Teacher Loan Forgiveness: Offers up to $17,500 in student loan forgiveness for teachers who teach full time for five years in certain low-income schools and meet other program qualifications.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): Forgives the balance on your Direct Loans after you make 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer.
• Perkins Loan Forgiveness: Provides up-front loan forgiveness for certain types of public service or for full-time work in certain occupations.
• Volunteer Work: AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) and Peace Corps service qualify for several types of student loan forgiveness.
• Health Professions: Several federal agencies provide student loan forgiveness programs for health professionals who work in specific locations or specialize in certain fields.
• Law School Loan Repayment: Several programs provide forgiveness for law school graduates who practice public interest law, such as public defenders.
• Government Employees: Many agencies provide up to $60,000 ($10,000 per calendar year) in student loan repayment assistance in exchange for a minimum commitment of 3 years of service.
• Military Service: Different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces offer a number of different forgiveness and student loan repayment programs.

• Study.com’s Ultimate Guide to Financial Aid and FAFSA for College Students
• Tax Benefits for Education: Information Center: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): https://fafsa.ed.gov/
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – Your financial path to graduation
• Savi’s COVID-19 Student Loan Aid Tool
• GradReady: https://State-of-Wisconsin.gradready.com
• DPI/Xello: https://dpi.wi.gov/acp/xello-in-wisconsin
• Inspire Wisconsin: https://www.inspirewisconsin.org/
  • Map of Wisconsin Inspire Network
  • Active Regions:
    Inspire Central Wisconsin: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-central-wisconsin
    Inspire Connections: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-connections
    Inspire 7 Rivers: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-7-rivers
    Inspire Grow North: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-grow-north
    Inspire Madison Region: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-madison-region
    Inspire Northward: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-northward
    Inspire New North: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-new-north
    Inspire Southeast Wisconsin: www.inspirewisconsin.org/inspire-southeast-wisconsin
• A Kid’s Guide to Saving: Interactive Workbook
• WisConnect – Your Source for Wisconsin Internships: https://internshipwisconsin.com/
• Edvest: https://www.edvest.com/
• Junior Achievement (JA) – Build Your Future: https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-usa/apps
• CFPB ‘Payback Playbook’: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201604_cfpb_student-loan-playbooks-website.pdf
• MyMazuma: http://mymazuma.com/
• The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS): http://ibrinfo.org/
• FASTChoice
  • Private loan borrowing information through Borrowing Essentials counseling 
  • Preparing for private loan repayment through Repayment Essentials counseling
  • Considering Refinancing counseling and lender options list
• Technical Colleges of Wisconsin
• Private Colleges in Wisconsin
  • WAICU-pedia_2021 a guide to Wisconsin’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities
• University of Wisconsin System
• University of Wisconsin-Extension – Small Savings Build Big Dreams
• U.S. Department of Education – College Scorecard
• Educators Credit Union – Going to College
• The Simple Dollar: Student Loan Consolidation Guide
• FHAloans: Guide to Buying a House with Student Loan Debt
• Fiscal Tiger: College Finance Glossary (Terms commonly used by student loan providers and financial aid advisors)
• Study.com: Guide to Budgeting in College for Students
• Money Management Lessons and Resources for Kids: Grades K-12
• Managing Your Financial Life After College Graduation
• How to Refinance Student Loans
• A Kid’s Guide to Saving: Interactive Workbook
• How to Teach Kids about Money
• Teaching Teens About Money
• Financial Literacy: Teaching Kids How To Buy A Home
• Teaching financial literacy to children and teens: Grades 6-12
• College Degrees Online
• The Nursing Student’s Guide to Debt-Free Education
• Student Loan Forgiveness for Nurses
• How to Budget for Nursing School
• How to Prepare for a Healthcare Career in High School
• Teaching Degree Programs
• Transferly – Economics Resources for At-Home Learning: Personal Finance
• Ultimate Saving Guide For High School Seniors Going Into College
• Next Gen Personal Finance
• moneygeek – Ultimate Guide to Paying Down Student Loan Debt
• College Guide for Homeschool Students
• For information about Wisconsin’s GI Bill, Federal GI Bill and other grant opportunities for Veterans please visit the State of Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA): Providing education benefits to those who have served, as well as to their family members.
• Financial Aid for Military & Veterans
• The College Investor –
  • Wisconsin Student Loans and Financial Aid Programs
  • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
• Best Colleges – Student’s Guide to College Loans
• Best Colleges – Financial Aid for Military Service Members and Student Veterans
• Arizona Central Credit Union – Financial Literacy Tips for Kids
• SoFi – Budgeting & Goals
• Online Master’s Degrees – Affordable Colleges for an Online Master’s Degree
• Understanding Your Finances: A Guide for College Students
• BestAccredited Colleges – From Homeschool to College: A Guide for Students
• BestAccredited Colleges – 2022 Guide to Trade & Vocational Schools
• Grants for Veterans
• TExEStest.org: Guide to Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers
• Annuity.org: Students & Financial Literacy
• EduMed –
  • Minority Students & Healthcare Education: An Online Guide to School Success
  • Find your Future in Healthcare

• • Finding and Applying for Scholarships: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/finding-scholarships
  • College Scholarships (Chamber of Commerce): https://www.chamberofcommerce.org/best-college-scholarships
  • College Scholarships (MoneysavingPro): https://www.moneysavingpro.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-college-scholarships/
  • Fastweb – Once you complete your profile you’ll have access to Fastweb’s database of more than 1.5 million scholarships.
  • MBA Scholarships – Search for general MBA Scholarships, MBA Scholarships for Minorities, Women and Military
  • Nitro – Scholarships for Graduate Students
  • phds.me: Scholarships and Financing Options for Minority Doctoral Students
  • Psychology Scholarships: https://www.onlinepsychologydegrees.com/psychology-scholarships/
  • SallieMae Scholarship Search
  • SallieMae Graduate School Scholarship Search
  • CollegeAve Student Loan Scholarship
  • TExEStest.org: TExEStest.org Future Teacher Scholarship
  • Going Merry Scholarship Search – Wisconsin

• National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS): https://www.nsldsfap.ed.gov/nslds_FAP/default.jsp
• StudentLoans.gov: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action
• Federal Student Aid (FSA): https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/
• FSA Cohort Default Rate Guide: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/default-management/cohort-default-rate-guide
• Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP): http://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/

Local Agencies

The following National Foundation for Credit Counseling^® (NFCC^®) Agencies have physical locations, and operate in or around your local area or provide services in Wisconsin. However, if you select an agency not in your state of residence be sure to check if the agency can still provide assistance to you.

Regional Agencies

The following NFCC Member Agencies have physical locations, and/or provide services in several states.

National Agencies

The following NFCC Member Agencies have physical locations, and/or provide services in all 50 states.