Chase Student Loans Are Gone — Here’s What To Do Instead
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the biggest financial institution in the U.S., and its commercial banking arm, Chase Bank, offers many ways for customers to borrow and manage their money. Chase student loans used to be one of those products, but they were discontinued in 2013.
If you have Chase student loans or are interested in borrowing money for college, here are your options now that the lender no longer offers these loans.
Why Chase student loans are no longer available
Chase used to handle both federal and private student loans. The financial institution offered private Chase student loans directly to borrowers, and it also worked with the government as a servicer for federal student loans.
In 2012, Chase closed its student loans to all but existing Chase customers. In September 2013, Chase student loans and its student loan refinancing product were discontinued altogether.
What to do if you already have Chase student loans
Many borrowers hold Chase student loans that originated before 2013. Chase originally managed these old student loans, but it has since discontinued servicing existing student loans completely. Chase’s federal student loans were transferred to other servicers, while its private student loans were sold to other companies.
Where are my Chase student loans now?
In April 2017, JPMorgan Chase announced a deal to sell $6.9 billion in education loans to Navient. This portfolio of Chase college loans included both federal and private debt. If your Chase college loan was sold to Navient, Navient likely notified you about the transfer at some point.
Since the transfer to Navient, some borrowers who originally had federal student loans from Chase have recently experienced another transition: In September 2021, Navient announced that would not renew its servicing contract with the Department of Education. It transferred 5.6 million in federal student loan accounts, including those it inherited through Chase, to Aidvantage, the servicing arm of Maximus.
However, Navient’s off-loaded federal loans are just a small fraction of its student loan portfolio. For example, it still handles some Family Federal Education Loans (FFEL) and private student loans.
If your private Chase student loans were transferred to Navient, the best way to confirm who is the current lender on your student loan account is by reviewing your credit report. Lenders report information on your student loan accounts to credit reporting agencies, so checking your credit report is the most reliable way to verify this information.
Request your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can receive a report from each credit bureau once every 12 months at no cost. (This was increased to free weekly reports through 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
What to get instead of Chase student loans
If you’re on the hunt for college funding options, Chase won’t be an option. Here are four alternatives to student loans from Chase that can help you pay for college:
- Federal student loans are one of the simplest ways to get the money you need for college, and they generally have the best rates and special benefits. Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and the Federal Student Aid Office will evaluate your eligibility for student loans and other financial aid.
- Credit union student loans often provide low-cost private student loans with favorable terms for members. There might even be a credit union affiliated with your school that you could be eligible to join.
- Online student loan lenders offer some great rates and above-average borrower protections. To start your search, you can check out the lenders we picked in our roundup of the best private student loans.
- Student loans from traditional banks still exist, even if you can’t get Chase student loans. Citizens Bank (RI), which has an online arm that offers student loans nationwide, is just one example.
If, on the other hand, you’re out of college and are considering student loan refinancing, you’ll have to look elsewhere, too. Fortunately, many of the above student loan alternatives also provide a refinancing option.
As you research different kinds of lenders, compare student loan terms. Assess loan details, like origination fees, student loan rates, and borrower protections, to ensure you’re getting your best deal.
Although Chase student loans don’t exist anymore, college students and their families can find smart alternatives for college financing. Choosing the right lender will help you pay for college and manage student debt more easily — from the first semester to graduation and beyond.