OSLA student loans which means Oklahoma Student Loan Authority is a federal student loan servicer that help students manage their federal student loans and many others in the United States especially for the residence of Oklahoma. However, the loan servicing is not only meant for those staying Oklahoma only. Those living out Oklahoma can also use the loan servicer provided you choose the company as your servicer.
Oklahoma Student Loan Authority (OSLA) is one of the loans servicing companies working with the U.S. Department to handle loan services on its behalf. OSLA is a third-party loan servicing company that helps to manage loans services like federal student loan repayment, tracking payment, and customer service. OSLA offers loan services to over 130,000 borrowers across the United States and majority of its borrowers are happy with the loan servicing company according to the Better Business Bureau, which gives OSLA an A+ rating when only 22 customers filed complaints in the last three years.
Important Notice and Quick Tips
- The OSLA federal student loans flexibilities for the COVID-19 emergency have been extended to August 31, 2022.
- The interest rates on the loans have been changed to 0% for the period March 13, 2020 through August 31, 2022. This means you will be charged interest on your loans.
- OSLA has placed loans in the administrative forbearance for the period of March 13, 2020, through August 31, 2022. This means you will not be required to make monthly payment on your loans. If your payments are made through auto debit, debit will not occur if forbearance is in place. OSLA will also report you as current to credit reporting agencies.
What Can OSLA do for you?
Oklahoma Student Loans Authority (OSLA) is your loan servicer, then you can enjoy the following that OLSA can help you do.
- Enroll in Autopay: When you sign up for autopay on OSLA platform, you will enjoy 0.25% interest rate and your payment will be deducted automatically from your bank account.
- Income-driven repayment: you can also sign up for income-driver repayment. When you do this, you get access to reduce your student loan payments to a percentage of your income. You can sign up for this repayment plan by completing a form with OSLA. You can also recertify your income each year by applying online on studentaid.gov.
- Register for online access to your account: when you sign up for your OSLA account online, you can now access your monthly billing statement, make bills payment, and also contact OSLA customer service team.
- Process Deferment and forbearance request: OSLA can help you reduce your payment amount if you are eligible and also help you stop making payment temporarily to help you stay in good standing to avoid default. Keep in mind that during this period of deferment and forbearance, your interest is likely to increase.
- Monthly payment and Additional payment: OSLA also assists you in tracking and collecting your payments. You can also direct OSLA to assist you in making extra payments either online, by phone or by mail. This additional payment will be added to your current balance or may apply the extra payment amount to the next month’s payment.
What Types of Student Loans Does OSLA service?
OSLA services two types of loans which include Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans. Although, FFELP loans was stopped in 2010 but if you borrowed one before then, OSLA is likely to be your servicer.
Direct Loans are loans owned by the Federal Government and serviced by OSLA. To identify your direct loan is easy. If your account number begins with letter F or number 8, followed by the nine numbers, then your loan is a Direct loan. For example: F800112200.
Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loan program is a loan that is privately owned and serviced by OSLA. To know your FFELP loan, your account number begins with a zero and has no alphabetic characters then your loan is a FFELP loan. For example: 012345678
How to make OSLA Student Loan Payment
You can pay your OSLA student loan bills by going to the OSLA student loans website and sign up using your account information. This will enable log into your account every month and make payment. You can also sign for Autopay to get 0.25% on your loan interest.
It is important you know that there are different login methods for the two types of OSLA student loans. However, when you want to make payment, your account number will indicate the kind of loan you want to pay for. If your account number starts with F or 8 and is followed by nine numbers, then you are to make payment for a Direct Loan. You can simply login to the Direct loan portal and process your payment immediately but if your account number starts with 0 and has no alphabetic characters, you have to make payment for FFELP loans, kindly login to the FFELP loan portal to make payment.
What Can I Do if Am Unable to Make OSLA Student loans Payments?
If you are trying to make payment for your OSLA loans and is not going through. The first thing to do when you can’t make your student loan payment is by contacting your loan servicer and discuss the various options below;
- Change your payment plan
- Get Deferment or forbearance if you qualify
- You can also become eligible for In-come driven repayment
- Change your due date
OSLA Student Loan Repayment Plans
OSLA offers different kinds of repayment plans for federal student loans borrowers. They include the following;
- Standard payment: this is the basic 10-year repayment plan for OSLA federal student loans borrowers. Borrowers can set up automatic payment and comes with no extra
- Extended payment: this payment plan gives you access to take a standard or graduated plan and then extend the repayment term up to 25 years. To get this repayment plan, you must have more than $30,000 left to pay on your FFEL loans or direct loans
- Graduated payment: this loan repayment plan is available to direct loan borrowers and has lower initial payments but they increase in the future. In other words, the total interest that you will pay will be higher than Standard plan.
- Income-based payment: this repayment plan is available to both FFEL and direct loans and after 20 or 25 years of making eligible payment, your loans are forgiven. Several factors determine borrower’s payment and this include borrower’s gross income, size of the family, and how much he or she still has to repay on the student loans.
- Income-Contingent repayment (ICR): this is meant for direct loans and after 25 years of payment is forgiven. This also similar to Income-based payment considering factors like loan balance, how much borrower makes, and family size.
- Pay As You Earn (PAYE): This repayment plan is also similar to Income-based payment and you can only qualify if you are new borrower and has taken out loan after Oct.1, 2007 and collected a direct loan disbursement after Oct.1, 2011.
- Revised Pay as You Earn (REPAYE): this repayment plan is also similar to PAYE with an exception that there is no speculation as to when you borrowed the money.
How to Contact OSLA customer service
You can reach out to the Oklahoma Student Loan Authority (OSLA) customer service team if you are having any issues or want to make payment.
OSLA Phone number: 866-264-9762
OSLA Working hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT
OSLA address for loan payments:
U.S. Department of Education – OSLA
P.O. Box 4278
Portland, OR 97208-4278
OSLA address for general correspondence:
OSLA
P.O. Box 18475
Oklahoma City, OK 73154-0475
OSLA website: public.osla.org
OSLA email: DLcustserv@osla.org
OSLA social channel: OSLA Facebook
Other Alternatives where You Can Complain about OSLA
If after going through OSLA’s customer service office and your issue still remain unsolved, you can file a complaint directly with Mary Anne Evans who is the customer service support supervisor, the highest customer service point person. Call 405-556-9232 or email maevans@osla.org and if the issue still remains unsolved, kindly lodge your complaints by visiting the following websites to lodge complaints about OSLA.
- Federal Student Aid Feedback System.
- Your state attorney general’s office.
- Your state consumer protection office.
- Your congressional representative.
When you want to go through this channel, ensure to keep records of conversation you have, the name of the customer representative you spoke with, time and day of conversation. Plus, documents such as bills, copies of any letters, and email about your account.
How to settle a dispute with OSLA
If you didn’t get any assistance after you filed a complaint, you can contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group. According to the federal student aid office, this method should be used only as a last resort. To reach out to the Ombudsman Group, use the following contact.
Phone: 877-557-2575
By mail: U.S. Department of Education
FSA Ombudsman Group
P.O. Box 1843
Monticello, KY 42633
You can also reach out to a student loan nonprofit such as The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, which provides free dispute resolution.
How to refinance OSLA Student Loans
If OSLA is your federal loan servicer, then you may qualify for refinance. However, you must have a good to excellent credit score or get a co-signer with a good credit history to lower your interest rate. Student loan refinancing has so many benefits as it helps you save money you ought to spend on interest and also help to consolidate your loans at lower interest rate.
Although refinancing is permanent but sometimes better not to refinance all the time. This is because it can clear your OSLA loans of their government-exclusive protection such as the ability to change your repayment plan. This means you will be denied access to change your repayment plan because Refinancing is permanent.
OSLA Alternatives
There are other loan servicers you can use when you want to switch as a student apart form OSLA. They include the following;
- Default Resolution Group only handles federal student loans in default.
- Aidvantage (formerly Navient).
- Nelnet
- Great Lakes
- MOHELA
- American Education Services services Federal Family Education Loans only.
- Edfinancial Services
- OSLA