Student Loan Services
Nelnet - National Educational Loan NetworkHeadquarters
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Nelnet - National Educational Loan Network's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 1,148 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 282 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:04/12/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
NelNet is supposed to allow borrowers to sign up for the new "****" Plan. In addition, they are supposed to allow borrowers to log into their account and make edits to their information and see the remaining balance of their loans, interest, etc. I have been trying to get on the **** plan for a while after leaving my job last summer, and they told me it would take "10 business days" to contact me to give me updates about my applications. I tried calling them to get updates, but I was only hold on 4 separate occasions for 3+ hours and when I finally go through to someone, they gave me incorrect information about how to file for the **** plan. I called studentaid.gov who gave me the correct information, and I proceeded to apply for that **** plan. I was then told by nelnet, after another 3+ hours on hold, that I would be contacted in 15 business days to hear about updates to my account. 45 business days later, I resubmitted an application on NelNet's site accidentally, and they IMMEDIATELY processed the form because they are only legally obligated to either change the payment amount or change the plan, not both. So because the **** plan doesn't make them as much money, they told me that they took "the most recent application." I believe this was intentional, and I believe that I'm not the only person who has had this experience. I hope someone takes them to court immediately (again). During all of this time, I accrued over $2000 in interest, and I continue to accrue interest today. I should be on the **** plan, and they should reimburse me for the interest I paid because it is their fault I'm not on that plan.
Business Response
Date: 04/19/2024
Pertaining to ******** *********** federal student loan account, we reviewed
their concerns and provide the attached response.Business Response
Date: 05/01/2024
Pertaining to ******** *********** federal student
loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the attached responseCustomer Answer
Date: 05/02/2024
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because the timing here seems to be a bit suspect, the language utilized in communications was incredibly vague and misleading, and the interest accrued on my account is a direct result of negligence by NelNet. In your own admission, you noted that you had this form form in August and didn't process it for two months. Yet when you received a form from me in October, which I submitted out of desperation for the fact that my payments were going to start again and I had no way to afford them, you immediately processed the reduction in monthly payments but kept my IBR which accrues interest. Apologies, but that seems too convenient.I understand there was an extremely high volume of applications, but with no/vague communication from NelNet, and a complete inability to make contact via phone, my IDR application was received, but not processed, despite submitting my first application on August 15th. In addition, the wording of the communications from NelNet felt intentionally misleading. I am attaching a document that is titled "As you requested, we applied or updated an Income-Driven Repayment Plan for your qualifying student loans." Then the document goes on to say:
"We’re reaching out to you because:
1. Your qualifying federal student loans have been placed on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan as you
requested, or
2. The U.S. Department of Education has directed Nelnet to recalculate your monthly payment amount because
your current IDR plan has been changed to the new Saving on a Valuable Education (****) IDR plan. The
**** Plan replaces the existing Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) plan."As you can see in the attached, it does not explicitly state which of these two things NelNet has actually done. Then, I began to accrue interest unknowingly as the **** plan pays for accrued interest over the monthly payment amount. Mine were $0, therefore, had I actually been put on the **** plan, which this vague message noted I COULD have been, I wouldn't have had any interest accruing while I figured out my financial situation.
Also - NelNet did nothing regarding my IBR. I submitted my application to **************, and you, by law, are required to approve it (hence this issue being reported to the BBB). Therefore, this matter is not resolved as NelNet has done nothing except for add the interest, which I accrued due to their actions, to my principal balance.
In your previous communication, you noted you can't adjust my account balance to fix this issue. Please explain, on record, why this is not possible. In my mind, this matter will not be resolved until this adjustment is done.
Sincerely,
******** *********Initial Complaint
Date:04/09/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My loans were transferred from Nelnet to ****** in March of 2023. Since the transfer my loan appears on my credit report twice. My credit report shows that I owe roughly 200k when in fact I only owe 100k. ****** has reported the loan accurately and Nelnet continues to show a incorrect balance reported to my credit report. I have contacted both ****** and Nelnet to resolve this issue and both have not fixed the issue and blamed the issue on the other party. This servicer error is making my debt to income ratio unbearable. The servicers are not being held accountable for their mistakes that are impacting borrowers.Business Response
Date: 04/17/2024
Pertaining to ******* ******** federal student loan account, we
reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.Customer Answer
Date: 04/18/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me for now.
Sincerely,
******* ******Initial Complaint
Date:04/07/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
1. I made several advance payments while my loans were being serviced by ***** ****** I was on an extended graduated repayment plan and the majority of my loans were paid down in advance with no payment due until 2027.
2. My student loan servicer was changed to Nelnet and all my advance payments from ***** ***** were not acknowledged with the transition to Nelnet and the **** plan
3. Upon approval of my **** plan on Feb 28 of this year, Nelnet requested immediate monthly payments in excess of 1,000 a month without even reviewing my prior payment history from when the loans were at ***** *****
4. Nelnet has forced my loan status into forbearance due to a problem that they created. Its not my fault that Nelnet did not review my loan history from ***** ***** during this transition. Nelnet says they are reviewing my case but they will not give me any sort of timeline for completion of the review. Nelnet continues to collect interest all the while.
5. my payment history from ***** ***** has not been made readily available to me on the Nelnet website and the telephone operators with Nelnet also do not know how to access it. I think a student loan servicer should be expected to have reasonable history of all payments made from the life of the loan. The exorbitant loan servicer fees that are charged when the loan is originated cover expenses like this.Business Response
Date: 04/15/2024
Pertaining to ****** ******** federal student loan account, we
reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/07/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
They have my autopay information. State the transaction is taking place. They have taken money out of my account 2 times in the last 8 months. They increase interest, say I am late, and do not respond.Business Response
Date: 04/15/2024
Pertaining to **** ********* federal student loan account, we
reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/06/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My complaint against Nelnet is that they are overcharging interest rates on my student loans. I have a total 6 student loans with them:
Loan AA) Principal balance: $1,000 interest Rate of 4.290% Sub
Loan AB) Principal balance: $2,494.68 Interest Rate of 4.290% Unsub
Loan AC) Principal balance: $2,392.33 Interest Rate of 4.450% Sub
Loan AD) Principal balance: $2,547.10 Interest Rate of 4.450% Unsub
Loan AE) Principal balance: $2,399.76 Interest Rate of 5.050% Sub
Loan AF): Principal balance: $91.59 Interest Rate of 5.050% Unsub
I used to have ********** and they they great, I used to make my payments of time, but with Nelnet they are charging me a total of $212.77 in interest when it should only be around $56 in interest for a $10,000 Loan based on the FAFSA Simulation Calculator Screenshot. So far, I have made two payments (Totaling 313.60) with Nelnet since my loans recently got transferred from **********
I need help, please see the screen shots. I need them to correct these interest charges as its too high for what I owe based on the interest rates.Business Response
Date: 04/15/2024
Pertaining to ****** ******** federal student loan account,
we reviewed their concerns and
provide the attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/06/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My loan should have been forgiven in 2006. My application is still on hold. Despite my calls to clear my dept the company hasn’t replied.Business Response
Date: 04/15/2024
Pertaining to ******* ******* federal student loan account, we
reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/05/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
illegal accural interest since i was on deferment until I find a full time job. Since i cannot seek employment due to my health and lack of jobs in the United States, i was not informed that I was supposed to be switched from ***** ***** to Nelnet. There was a court battle against nelnet as they werent honoring the defferment of 0 dollars a month. I am one of these victims. I have no money, no job, so how am i supposed to make payments? I tried emailing them and hopefully they will do the right thing. I will sue them if necessary or file for bankruptcy. I have a useless studio art degree and they believe i should still pay for it, regardless. I have filed out hundreds of job applications, and always get rejected. How can I pay for anything, with my own blood? My mental and physical health tanked ever since moving back with my folks. How can I focus on anything knowing that i keep accuring interest when nelnet was supposed to honor my 0 dollar monthly payments? If I can never find a job, will I have to end up homeless just so my debt can go away?Customer Answer
Date: 04/13/2024
Not yet but I'll do it if needed. They havent approved my request the first time around. I'm going to try again one last before I take this to court.Business Response
Date: 04/17/2024
Pertaining to ***** *********** federal student loan account, we
reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/05/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Nelnet did a hard credit inquiry for a loan. I never authorized this and was told it would be a soft inquiry only. My credit has been affected by this.Business Response
Date: 04/17/2024
Pertaining to ***** ******** federal student loan account, we reviewed
their concerns and provide the attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/05/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I've been a Nelnet autopay customer since 10/2023. Every month, they've debited my account in full for my authorized autopay amount. For an unknown or unexplained reason, in March 2024, Nelnet debited a partial balance instead without providing me with a notification/explanation. They've now designated my account as past due in addition to charging daily interest on a higher balance due to their failure. I'm on the phone with them now and they're only command is to "just make the payment". That's unacceptable. My account needs to be made whole as it should've been when my March 2024 payment was debited.Business Response
Date: 04/17/2024
Pertaining to **** ****** federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
attached response.Initial Complaint
Date:04/05/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Nelnet sent me a letter saying they took over my student loan company. As result they expected me to start payment in January. I sent a letter to dispute it, and asked for a paper copy of my original contract (with my signature) and all payment history up to that point. I wanted to make sure they were legitimate; Im not gonna pay some company without proof of contract. I also called them. I spent hours on the phone as they sent all the requests for paper copies into the right departments. They double checked my address. However i never recieved any paperwork. February bill came in and i sent in another dispute letter requesting the paper proof of contract. I also called them a second time. They said they would send in another request for written proof and mail it out to me. I never recieved anything from them except March's bill. I sent in another letter to dispute the charge and request paper copy of my original contract. Its April 5th and i havent recieved anything other than Bills. I do not believe they have a contract with my signatrue as its been 3 months with no proof.Business Response
Date: 04/12/2024
Pertaining to ******* ******** ****** federal student loan account, we
reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.
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