CRI Student Loans: What Student Loan Borrowers Need to Know
CRI is the newest federal student loan servicer. It can help you navigate your monthly bills, repayment plan and relief options. You can reach customer service at: 833-355-4311.
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Contributing Writer Central Research, Inc. (CRI) is a federal student loan servicer that collects and tracks payments for borrowers.
As the newest servicer, CRI began working with student loan borrowers in spring 2024. The Arkansas-based company did not have prior experience as a federal servicer, though it collected defaulted student loans on behalf of the government.
How do I know if CRI is my servicer?
There are several active servicers. The U.S. Department of Education assigns your loan servicer when your loan is disbursed to your college for the first time. It is the company that sends you a federal student loan bill every month.
If your loan payments haven’t begun or you’re not sure which company is your servicer, log in to your studentaid.gov account to find out. The name of your servicer and a link to your servicer’s website appear on the top right corner of your dashboard. You can also get in touch with any of the loan servicer contact centers by calling 800-4-FED-AID.
Servicers can help you, but they may offer choices that are best for the company. It’s important to know your student loans repayment options so you can know the right questions to ask.
How to make the most of CRI student loans
If CRI is your assigned federal student loan servicer, here’s what it can help you do:
- Register for online access to your account. Once you set up your account, you can contact CRI by email, find your monthly billing statements and pay bills.
- Enroll in autopay. CRI can deduct your payments automatically from your bank account. Signing up for autopay will reduce your interest by 0.25 percentage point.
- Sign up for income-driven repayment. You can request income-driven repayment, which limits your student loan payments to a percentage of your income, by completing a paper form with CRI. (You can also apply for an IDR plan online on studentaid.gov.)
- Apply for deferment and forbearance. CRI can help you temporarily stop making payments or reduce your payment amount if you qualify. This helps you stay in good standing to avoid default. During any periods of student loan deferment or forbearance, interest can continue to build.
- Track monthly payments and extra payments. CRI will track and collect your payments. If you want to make additional payments, you can instruct CRI (online, by phone or by mail) to apply extra payments to your current balance. Otherwise, it may instead apply additional payments to next month’s bill.
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Is CRI my servicer until my loans are paid off?
Your federal student loan servicer could change depending on government contracts. You’d be notified when a loan servicing transfer happens, and you’d manage payments with the new servicer.
Otherwise, you are likely to remain with CRI unless you consolidate your federal student loans. When you consolidate, you can choose a new servicer.
All servicers deliver the same options and programs, but customer service may differ from one to another.
Prior to being transferred to a new servicer, borrowers should do the following:
- Download and save your payment history from your online account or request a copy from your servicer.
- Update your contact information with your most recent address, phone number and email address.
Upcoming changes among servicers
The student loan servicing landscape is expected to shift through the Unified Servicing and Data Solution initiative. Phase 1 was launched in 2024.
Over a five-year time period, a repayment portal at studentaid.gov will be created, and individual loan servicers’ websites will be decommissioned.
While it is unclear whether this means your loan servicer will change, there is always a possibility that your loan could be transferred during this update.
How to reach CRI customer service
CRI phone number: 833-355-4311.
CRI hours of operation: Monday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET; Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET; Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET.
CRI website: CRI.studentaid.gov
CRI email address: Log in to your account to email CRI customer service and submit payments and documents electronically.
CRI address for loan payments:
U.S. Department of Education
P.O. Box 790123
St. Louis, MO 63179-0123
CRI address for general correspondence:
CRI
P.O. Box 83106
Lincoln, NE 68501
CRI address for documents related to deferment, forbearance, repayment plans or enrollment status changes
CRI
Attn: Enrollment Processing
P.O. Box 82539
Lincoln, NE 68501-2565
Fax: 888-462-4163
CRI address for documents related to loan discharge, forgiveness or bankruptcy claims
CRI
Attn: Claims
P.O. Box 82612
Lincoln, NE 68501-2505
Fax: 888-462-4153
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I complain about CRI?
If you’re having an issue with CRI that you have been unable to resolve, start by filing a complaint directly with CRI's customer service department.
If your issue remains unresolved, you can also make complaints about CRI to:
Make sure to keep records of conversations you have, including the day, time and customer service representative you spoke with. Keep copies of any letters, bills or emails about your account.
How do I settle a dispute with CRI?
f a complaint doesn’t help, you can contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group. This method should be used only as a last resort, says the federal student aid office. Here’s how to get in touch:
Phone: 1-800-433-3243.
By mail:
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Federal Student Aid
P.O. Box 1854
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.
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