Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Nelnet - National Educational Loan Network's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Nelnet - National Educational Loan Network has 9 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Nelnet - National Educational Loan Network

  121 S 13th St # 201 Lincoln, NE 68508-1911

  
• 

  Nelnet - National Educational Loan Network

  12165 W Center Rd Omaha, NE 68144-3962

  
• 

  Nelnet-National Educational Loan Network

  P.O. Box 1649 Denver, CO 80201

• 

  Nelnet-National Educational Loan Network

  P.O. Box 17460 Denver, CO 80217

• 

  Nelnet, Inc.

  6420 Southpoint Pkwy Jacksonville, FL 32216

The 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:10/11/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 my loan servicing provider for my student loans (medical school). I owe over $350,000 in loans and will be charged interest beginning this month. My monthly payment amount is based upon my income. My income decreased substantially in the past year and I submitted a "change of income" form to Nelnet via their website in August. They never processed this change and now my monthly payment is being calculated based upon my former, higher income.
  
  Further, I opted to switch from income based repayment to the new SAVE plan to lower my monthly payments and this change was never processed. Now, I am being charged over $750 monthly for my loans when my payments should be zero, or close to zero. The first payment will be processed on October 21, 2023.
  
  I have called Nelnet numerous times and have been unable to reach anyone. All incoming calls are placed "on hold" and then music and menu options are played while waiting. The menus do not include the option to be called back later. I have been on hold with Nelnet upwards of 2 hours and then finally hung up and gave up trying to reach them. I am a physician and mother and I do not have time to be on hold for hours at a time, especially when I do not have the confidence that anyone will ever pick up the phone.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/19/2023

  Pertaining to ******* ******** federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.

  Thank you for your inquiry regarding your federal student loan account with Nelnet Loan Servicing
  (Nelnet). The Better Business Bureau forwarded your inquiry to us for response. On behalf of your
  lender, the **** ********** ** ********* ****, we service your federal student loans. We take your
  concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to respond.
  As we understand it, you applied for the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan and should
  qualify for a $0 payment. However, your account has not been adjusted to the SAVE Plan and is still
  reflecting a payment due on October 21, 2023. You assert you have tried to call us and have been
  unable to reach an advisor. You are requesting that we process your application.
  We apologize for your recent experience regarding hold times and dropped calls. We are
  experiencing higher than normal call volume and are working to make adjustments to better support
  our customers.
  After careful review of your account, we can confirm on October 18, 2023, our processing team
  began working on your request. The request to change repayments plans requires you to formally
  exit the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan by making a reduced payment in the amount of $5. A
  one-month reduced payment forbearance was processed to your account which adjusts the payment
  that is due on November 10, 2023, to $5. Once the $5 exit payment has been received, our
  processing team will be able to complete your repayment plan change and process the SAVE Plan
  as requested.
  We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any other questions, you may call us at 888-
  486-4722 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern) Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8
  a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. You can also email [email protected] or
  visit Nelnet.com. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2023

  To whom it may concern,

  I previously submitted a BBB complaint due to Nelnet's failure to update my income information which is a critical step for reducing my monthly loan payment and the inability to reach them directly by any means.  There is no method of emailing a representative from Nelnet and phone calls result in lengthy hold times which exceed hours until I have lose patience and hang up the phone.  I submitted a request for recertification of my loans and an income change update in early August of 2023 and my first loan payment was due by October 2023.  Nelnet was unable to respond to my requests and therefore I filed a complaint.  

  Nelnet responded to this complaint and advised that I pay a $5 balance on my account, which would then result in my loan going into forbearance while I wait for them to respond to my request for income change and recertification.  I am filling a new complaint on the basis of:

  1. It is now November, 2023 and Nelnet has not yet recertified my loan nor updated my income information (which was the original complaint)

  2. I DID NOT ask to be placed into forbearance.  I was provided with no other choice than forbearance.  Forbearance is not the desirable outcome as this allows interest to accrue.  This is Nelnet's mistake for not updating my loan information in a timely fashion. If they had, I would be in a new repayment plan which I could afford and would not be in forbearance.  If they needed to place my loan payments on hold while continuing to review my application, I should have been placed in DEFERMENT with no additional interest accruing.

  3. There is no plausible explanation for why it would take months to update my income status.  I have done this several times previously with a different loan provider and it was processed in the same day. 

   

  This above inaction on the part of Nelnet is completely unacceptable and if it is happening to the thousands of other loan holders who are seeking application updates, this is fraudulent behavior as it is forcing loan holders to accrue interest on their loans through no fault of their own.  

  In order to resolve this complaint, I would like correspondence from Nelnet immediately and directly with information about the status of my loan and to be promptly switched onto the payment plan I chose. I would also like my income to be updated.  Communication with BBB alone is not sufficient.  Someone from Nelnet should be reaching out to me directly in order for this issue to be resolved. Of note, even after the last complaint, Nelnet never reached out to me directly.  I have still been completely unable to reach anyone by phone to discuss.  

  Sincerely,

   

  ******* ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2023

  Pertaining to ******* ******** federal student loan account, we
  reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.

  December 14, 2023
  ******* ******
  *** ********** *****
  ***** ** *****
  Account: **********
  Dear *******,
  Thank you for your inquiry regarding your federal student loan account with Nelnet Loan Servicing
  (Nelnet). The Better Business Bureau forwarded your inquiry to us for a response. On behalf of your
  lender, the **** ********** ** ********* ****, we service your federal student loans. We take your
  concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to respond.
  As we understand it, your income decreased substantially, and you submitted a request to
  recalculate your payment under the new SAVE plan. You are concerned because your repayment
  plan change still hasn’t been processed and your account was placed in forbearance which you
  didn’t request. You’re asking us to process your repayment plan change immediately.
  On December 6, 2023, we processed your repayment plan change on your account. You are
  currently enrolled in the Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan for 12-monthly
  payments of $0 to start on January 21, 2024. Per instructions from ** an administrative forbearance
  is applied to accounts to allow time to process repayment applications.
  We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any other questions, you may call us at 888-
  486-4722 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern) Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8
  a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. You can also email [email protected] or
  visit Nelnet.com.
  Sincerely,
  ***** **
  Nelnet Loan Servicing

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/11/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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.

  To whom it may concern, my name is ***** ******** and I am a physician in Largo, Florida. I have $298,000 in federal student loans.
  
  Nelnet recently took over as my student loan lender. They absorbed my loans from a prior lender, which are all federal.
  
  This company makes it impossible to pay more than the minimum payment. There is no option on the website to pay more than the minimum payment, resulting in a 6% interest with capitalization. They are impossible to get a hold of by their communication methods, including multiple emails as well as phone call on hold. This feels like it is intentionally challenging to pay additional interest.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2023

  Thank you for looking into this complaint.
  Neltnet called and left a voicemail asking me to call back. I called right back, and after greater than 2 hours on hold I was able to speak to ******, at Nelnet's hotline. I was told there is no possibility of increasing a monthly payment to cover the interest of a loan. The minimum payment has to remain, despite it not covering the 6% interest on student loans. My only option is to make individual extra payments, but these will simply push my payment dates out and never pay the interest. This is absolutely a tactic to try and have student loan interest capitalize and prevent students from paying it. I do not know if it is criminal to prevent loan recipients from paying their accruing interest, but I suspect that it is. I would appreciate any and all help! 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/19/2023

  Pertaining to ***** ********'s
  federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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.

  NelNet purchased my federal student loans 2/28/23 from Great Lakes. The forbearance has now ended and the first payment is due. This loan is now requiring a payment that is $131 more per month for a longer period of time than my previous loan servicer. My payments were current at the time of the COVID-19 federal forbearance. There is no reason for my payment schedule to have increased. When speaking to the company, I was told the payment amount is simply because no one at NelNet 'entered my payment schedule'. So they essentially made up a monthly amount due as well as the loan term. When I asked to speak with someone to help rectify the issue, I was told I cannot call anyone. The customer service representative has to 'submit a REQUEST' for someone to call me with a typical turnaround time of 2-3 WEEKS. In the interim, I will have a payment due that I must pay or it will impact my credit. When I asked my options I was told wait to hear from someone for weeks or put them back in forbearance and they'll accrue even more interest. I am completely stuck without a reasonable option. It's unprofessional to have a 2-3 week turnaround time and after having my loans for 7.5 months, they don't have something as simple as my payment figured out.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2023

  Pertaining to ****** ******** federal student loan account, we
  reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/25/2023

   
  
  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.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  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.

  They won't answer their phone when you call them. I have called them over 5 times and each time I am put on hold for literal hours. They say "you call will be answered in 12 minutes" and then literally two hours will pass by without someone answering. You send them an email through their website, which I have done 4 times now, they do not respond. They have an application of mine that I sent in for review on August 31st, and they still not have reviewed it. They also tell you that you will receive updated information regarding your application every 10 days, and I have yet to receive a single update. How can this place do any business or expect me to make a payment when they won't even answer the phone, answer and email or even give me an update on my application. It is kind of ridiculous.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/19/2023

  Pertaining to ******** ******** federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/19/2023

   
  
  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.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 my loan servicer of my federal student loans. I was approved for Borrower defense under the Sweet v. Cardona Lawsuit and Nelnet sent me a letter on 8/3/23 stating that the discharge has been completed but they did not provide any information about my refund that I am owed. According to the FSA site I am owed ~$34K based on the amounts I paid on the loans that were forgiven under BDTR. I have contacted Nelnet multiple times and they state that they do not calculate the refund which is a flat out lie. The government has posted puiblicly everywhere about the BDTR process and it is on the servicer to advise me of my refund information such as amount due and they flat out refuse to do so or make up reasons that are factually incorrect to get me off the phone. I am not asking for the date when I will receive the check as per the settlement agreement they have until 1/28/24 to do that. I am simply wanting them to confirm that I am owed a refund and the amount of the refund to ensure there are no mistakes as they have already made mistakes in the past such as refunding my final student loan payment which caused me to have to make another payment again, at a financial burden, to ensure it was paid off prior to the interest restarting on 9/1/2023.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2023

  Pertaining to ******* ******** federal student loan account, we
  reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2023

   
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: My loan has already been discharged for months. Several people I know that have been discharged over a month after me have received refunds. Since my account was already discharged, the refund amount should have already been calculated and provided to me. Clearly this has not occurred and instead of actually looking at my account and figuring out why it is sitting with no movement, I just continue to get a canned response about how they are busy. I would understand if my account was not already discharged but the work has been done. There is a clear disconnect in this organization and they refuse to actually address the issue.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/27/2023

  Dear *******,  We appreciate your BBB Rebuttal case ********. We understand you still have concerns related to receiving a refund after your loans were discharged through the borrower defense to repayment discharge.  Based upon your recent correspondence received on October 18, 2023, no additional information was provided. Our determination dated October 17, 2023, will stand. We continue to work on completing your claim. As previously stated, due to the large number of refund requests that come from the U.S. Department of Treasury, we are not able to provide you with the information you are requesting. If there are any updates on your account, we will notify you.  We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any other questions, please call us at ************ from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern) Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

   

  You can also visit our website at Nelnet.com or email [email protected].  Sincerely,  ***** ** Nelnet Loan Servicing 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  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.

  Nelnet has communicated to me via automatic email in regard to an application for a repayment plan I submitted on 9/05/2023. On 9/7 I received an update that my application was still be reviewed and would hear back in 10 days. On 9/19 I received the same email stating I will hear back in 10 days. On Wednesday 10/04/2023, I called Nelnet to inquire about my application since I have not received any update since 9/19/2023. I waited on hold for 2 hours and 51 minutes. I was taken off hold and the representative hung up on me without saying a word. I was directed towards a survey after the call that did not happen.
  I waited nearly 3 hours on hold for the company to not take my call. We did not exchange any words. It was clear I was no longer on hold and I said hello multiple times before being directed to the after call survey. My loan payment will begin this month and I have no update on the status of the payment.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  Pertaining to ******* ******* federal student loan account, we
  reviewed their concerns and provide the attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2023

  
  
  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.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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.

  Im trying to sign up for SAVE and my new loan company wont answer their self service is beyond out dated. The amounts are coming out correctly either. This is a government loan and they need to treat their customers with respect and decency. I would like to see a mark against them to no longer be allowed to service government loans.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2023

  Pertaining to ******* ********* federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2023

   
  
  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.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/06/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 double charged me for my monthly student loan payment, claimed it was done by me and authorized despite my statement that it was not, and refuses to refund me the money they have taken of their own accord,

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2023

  Pertaining to **** ********* federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I never authorized any additional payment. Their system is clearly mistaken, however, given the reputation of Nelnet, I am not surprised. They will continue to say it was authorized I’m sure and take no responsibility, so there is likely no point in continuing this matter. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2023

  Dear *****
  

  We appreciate your BBB Rebuttal to case ********. We understand you are concerned regarding
  the October 1, 2023 payment. You believe it was not submitted by you, but a Nelnet error may be
  involved.
  We apologize for the frustration you have experienced regarding this issue. On October 21, 2023,
  we submitted a request to have the activity reviewed within your Manage My Account. As of October
  25, 2023, we have not received the results of our review. We will contact you when they become
  available.
  We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any other questions, you may call us at 888-
  486-4722 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern) Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8
  a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. You can also email *********************************t or
  visit ***********
  

  Sincerely,
  Joe J.
  Your Nelnet Customer Service Team\

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/06/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 wife, ******** has student loans from college. The servicer was Great Lakes, but then they were transferred in February to Nelnet. We got set up with a Nelnet account in March and were able to log in.
  
  We want to pay off her student loans so we're not charged more interest, but we need to know how much she owes. We tried to log into the account in August before interest started accruing on the loans again due to the interest rate pause ending, but we have been unable to sign in to our account due to various errors, and we're unable to reset our password or get any customer support. Since August, we have been unable to get into contact with Nelnet. We've waited on hold on the phone 5 or 6 times at various times of day. We've sent an email but have not received a response. The longest we waited was 1 hour and 41 minutes on 10/6/23.
  
  We just want to get to be able to get into contact with this business so we can pay off her student loans, but it's hard to stay on hold for

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2023

  Pertaining to ******* ******** *ederal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2023

  Dear *******,  Thank you for your inquiry regarding your federal student loan account with Nelnet Loan Servicing (Nelnet). The Better Business Bureau forwarded your inquiry to us for a response. On behalf of your lender, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), we service your federal student loans. We take your concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to respond.   Your concern, as we understand it, is your wife, ******** has student loans from college that were previously serviced by ***** *****, but are now serviced by Nelnet. You want to pay off her loans but need to know how much is owed. You have tried to contact us but have not been able to reach us.   On November 21, 2023, we attempted to reach you by phone to obtain information required to access ********* account. Please reply to this e-mail and include the following:   1) Her nine-digit Nelnet account number  2) First and Last Name 3) Date of Birth  We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any other questions, you may call us at 888486-4722 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern) Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. You can also email [email protected] or visit Nelnet.com.  Sincerely,  **** ** Nelnet Loan Servicing   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/06/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 a student loan provider who had a lot of student loans transferred to their organization. I have attempted multiple times to contact them to no avail. My issue can't be resolved by going on the website and it seems like it's impossible to get someone on the phone to discuss

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2023

  Pertaining to Jaime Alejandro's
  federal student loan account, we reviewed their concerns and provide the
  attached response.