Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Education officially launched the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Feedback System, an online portal that allows federal student aid customers to submit complaints, provide positive feedback, and report allegations of suspicious activity regarding their experience with federal student aid programs.
The creation of the FSA Feedback System fulfills one of the primary objectives of the President's 2015 Student Aid Bill of Rights—continuing the Obama Administration's work to help borrowers responsibly manage their federal student debt, improve federal student loan servicing, and protect taxpayers' investments in the student aid programs. Customers can access the system at http://www.StudentAid.gov/feedback.
"The FSA Feedback System provides an easy way for students, parents, borrowers and others to file complaints about their experiences with federal aid programs, which we will use to improve the experience for current and future borrowers," said U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell. "We want to hear about what isn't working so that we can fix problems and improve outcomes for borrowers."
In FY 2015, the Department provided nearly 12 million students at more than 6,100 schools federal student aid and oversaw a loan portfolio that included more than 40 million borrowers. Understanding feedback about the experiences of customers will allow the Department to improve the delivery and oversight of federal financial aid programs, while continuing to responsibly safeguard taxpayer interest.
The system greatly enhances customers' ability to provide feedback and receive a timely and meaningful resolution. Customers can submit feedback about applying for and receiving federal loans, grants, and work study, as well as feedback about their experiences with federal loan servicers, collection agencies, and the Department itself. Complaints submitted through the Feedback System will be tracked from intake to resolution and will inform the continual improvement of our customers' experience, regardless of where they are in the student aid process.
The system also accepts feedback about schools' administration of federal student aid programs, including possible misrepresentation of facts about a school or its recruitment and marketing practices. When appropriate, the Department will contact the school to directly address and resolve complaints submitted through the system.
Customers can submit feedback about their own experiences or on behalf of others. Customers also have the option to include their contact information with their feedback, and by entering their FSA ID—a user name and password that provides access to U.S. Department of Education student aid systems— customers can track the status of their submission. Users can also submit feedback anonymously.
Data collected through the system will be shared with partner agencies including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network, to resolve complaints beyond the scope of Department oversight, such as those involving private student loans.
The Department aims to publish the first annual report for the Feedback System this fall on the FSA Data Center. The report will include data about usage and types of feedback submitted.
In April, the U.S. Department of Education announced A New Vision for Serving Student Loan Borrowers. With the new servicing solution, we intend to leverage enhanced servicing oversight and enforcement capabilities, including the new FSA Feedback System announced today, to ensure accuracy and excellence in federal student loan borrower customer service, and to support a servicing solution that is consistent, accurate and actionable, accountable and transparent.
To find answers to general questions, file a dispute with the Ombudsman, or learn how to directly contact their servicer, customers still should visit the Contact Us page on StudentAid.gov.