Waiting for page to load...

Attention Great Lakes will no longer be servicing federal student loans as of June 2023. Nelnet, whom we've shared the same parent company with since 2018, will be your new student loan servicer. Like two sides of the same coin, we'll continue to work together with the shared commitment of helping you successfully manage your student loans. For more information about the transfer to Nelnet, visit Nelnet.com/transfer.

Lady entering a figure into her calculator while shopping at a grocery store.

How to Make a Student Loan Payment

Book Illustration Heart illustration Person illustration

Any time you make a payment on your loan, it reduces what you owe in the long run. So even if you don't have a payment due right now, making a payment is always a good idea. And if you're in repayment, making on-time payments will help you build a solid credit history and stay on the path to successfully paying off your loan.

Sign up for Auto Pay

The fastest and easiest way to have your payment applied is to sign up for Auto Pay, a service that automatically withdraws your student loan payment from your checking or savings account on a specific date.

Auto Pay is easy to use, it's free, and you can sign up for it even if you're not in repayment. If you are in repayment and you have a Direct loan, you can receive an interest rate reduction of 0.25%, reducing the total amount you pay over time. Contact us for more details.

Make a One-time Payment Online

If you like to make electronic payments, but prefer to make them yourself each month, you can easily do that in a few simple steps using Pay Online. You can also view your payment history and save the bank accounts that you use most often so you can use them the next time you make a payment. Making a payment online is quick and easy—saving you time and money because you don't have to write a check and mail it to us.

Make and Track Payments Using Our Mobile App

To make a payment using our mobile app, download it for your iOS or Android device, then log in to make or schedule a payment and view details about your loans. The mobile app also sends you notifications about your payment due dates and successful payments that you've made.

Give Us a Call

We're always happy to take your payment over the phone, too. You can make a payment using our automated telephone system 24/7 or speak to one of our trained representatives during business hours—they can help you make a payment and answer any questions you have.

Send Your Payment in the Mail

If you like to pay by check, you can always send your payment in the mail. When you do, make sure you send a payment insert from your billing statement and include your Payment Reference Number on your check.

Having Trouble Making Payments?

If you're having trouble making your payments, learn more about options that could help you now or down the road.

Get in Touch

Have a social account and have a question? Send us a message. We're here to help. You can chat with us a few ways:

You can also log in or visit our Contact Us page to contact a representative.

Did you enjoy this topic? Share!