Perkins Loans
Perkins Loan Account Payment Information
Southwestern College Federal Perkins loans were awarded on a need basis through the expiration of the Federal Perkins Loan Program. Loans disbursed to students are serviced by Southwestern College’s choice of Loan Servicer Heartland ECSI
These loans are serviced separately from any federal Department of Education loans.
- Your loan will be located on Heartland ECSI using your Southwestern College Student ID (111xxxxxx) or your Government Issued ID (SSN).
- Southwestern College School Code: 1I (numerical o-n-e; alphabetical e-y-e)
Create/Sign in to your account with ECSI
Repayment for the Perkins loan begins 9 months after the borrower ceases half-time enrollment. The interest rate on these loans is fixed at 5%.
More information on the Federal Perkins Loan Program
What is Consolidation?
If you have multiple student loans you may be able to combine them into one loan with a fixed interest rate based on the average of the interest rates on the loans being consolidated. Learn more about loan consolidation.
A Direct Consolidation Loan allows you to consolidate multiple federal education loans into one loan at no cost to you.
Through your completion of the free Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note, you will confirm the loans that you want to consolidate and agree to repay the new Direct Consolidation Loan.
Once the consolidation is complete, you will have a single monthly payment on the new Direct Consolidation Loan instead of multiple monthly payments on the loans you consolidated.
Alert! On Oct. 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced a temporary period during which borrowers may receive credit for payments that previously did not qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF. Learn more about this time-limited opportunity.
DIRECT LOAN CONSOLIDATION APPLICATION
What is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program?
- The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program forgives the remaining balance on your federal student loans after 120 payments working full-time for federal, state, Tribal, or local government; the military; or a qualifying non-profit.
- Temporary changes, ending on Oct. 31, 2022, provide flexibility that makes it easier than ever to receive forgiveness by allowing borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.
- Enrollments on or after Nov. 1, 2022 will not be eligible for this treatment. We encourage borrowers to sign up today. Visit PSLF.gov to learn more and apply.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Waiver
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Waiver is a short-term opportunity that offers borrowers a way to get closer to loan forgiveness through PSLF and Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF) programs. On October 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a change to the PSLF program rules to help reach a broader audience of qualified borrowers. For a limited time, borrowers may receive credit for times of repayment that would not have previously qualified towards forgiveness. For more information, visit the Help Center Page for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. -The limited waiver ended October 31, 2022.
The Biden-Harris Administration's
Student Debt Relief Plan Explained
Federal Perkins loans not held by the Department of Education are not part of the student loan debt relief.
NOTE: Southwestern College Perkins loan serviced through Heartland ECSI are not loans held by the Department of Education.
Student Loan Debt Relief
The Biden-Harris Administration has a plan to transition into repayment after the one time debt relief was blocked by the Supreme Court.
Beware of Scams
Borrowers should know that the best source of information about when the application period opens will come directly from the Department of Education and Federal Student Aid.
You might be contacted by a company saying they will help you get loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee. You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid. Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education and our loan servicers, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone.
Our emails to borrowers come from noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov, or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com. You can report scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission by calling
As we prepare for the student debt relief application window to open later this month, the Department of Education is sharing critical information on how to protect yourself from scammers trying to take advantage of student loan borrowers.
Here's a list of Do's and Don'ts to protect yourself against scams as you prepare to apply for debt relief.
- DON'T pay anyone who contacts you with promises of debt relief or loan forgiveness. You will not need to pay anyone to obtain debt relief. The application will be free and easy to use.
- DON'T reveal your FSA ID or account information or password to anyone who contacts you. The Department of Education and your federal student loan servicer will never call or email you asking for this information.
- DON'T ever give personal or financial information to an unfamiliar caller. When in doubt, hang up and call your student loan servicer directly. You can find your federal student loan servicer's contact information at Studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers.
- DON'T refinance your federal student loans unless you know the risks. If you refinance federal student loans eligible for debt relief into a private loan, you will lose out on important benefits like one-time debt relief and flexible payment plans for federal loans.
- DO create an FSA ID at StudentAid.gov. You will not need it for the debt relief application but having an FSA ID can allow you to easily access accurate information on your loan and make sure FSA can contact you directly, helping you equip yourself against scammers trying to contact you. Log in to your current account on StudentAid.gov and keep your contact info up to date. If you need help logging in follow these tips on accessing your account.
- DO make sure your loan servicer has your most current contact information. If you don't know who your servicer is, you can log into StudentAid.gov and see your servicer(s) in your account.
- DO share these messages with your networks and encourage others to sign up at www.ed.gov/subscriptions to be notified when the Student Loan Debt Relief application becomes available.
- DO report scammers to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Having the most up-to-date and accurate information is your best protection against scammers.
You will hear directly from the Department of Education or Federal Student Aid when the application for debt relief is available. if you qualify for debt relief without needing to fill out an application, you will also hear from the Department or FSA directly. For additional information, visit our FAQ page on student debt relief.
Questions?
Contact us at accounts@sckans.eduor call
