Heartland/ECSI Website Help

My loan payments started in January, but I missed them because I hadn’t checked my school email since graduation. I’m jobless and can’t afford the monthly payments. When I called customer service, they said an IDR plan isn’t possible since my university issued the loan. They advised me to apply for general forbearance but said I’d need to pay the accrued interest first.

I submitted the forbearance application and am ready to pay the $60 interest, but I can’t find a way to do that on the ECSI website. When I click “make a payment,” it only shows the amount due for this month. Does anyone know how to pay just the interest? I’m worried I won’t get forbearance if I can’t figure this out.

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Are they Perkins loans? You may have to call and make the payment over the phone, but keep in mind you can consolidate Perkins loans into a Direct Consolidation loan via studentaid.gov to make them eligible for IDR plans like SAVE If it’s tuition debt or a different kind of private loan then you have fewer options, but if you’re specifically dealing with a Perkins loan you can federally consolidate it

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If these are Perkins loans, you may need to call and make the payment over the phone. However, you can consolidate Perkins loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan through studentaid.gov. This consolidation can make them eligible for Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans like SAVE.

If it’s tuition debt or a different type of private loan, your options may be more limited. But if your concern is specifically with Perkins loans, federal consolidation is an option to consider.

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