Apply for Consolidation
The easiest way to apply to consolidate your loans into a new Direct Consolidation Loan is online. You will have to log into your StudentAid.gov account to apply. You can also download the paper application and submit it by mail.
Make sure when you apply that you only include the loans you want to consolidate together in a single Direct Consolidation Loan in your application. If you want to leave out certain loans (such as Parent PLUS loans or Direct Loans), don’t include those loans in your application.
Remember, you can consolidate a single loan. If you only have one FFEL, Perkins, or Parent PLUS loan, you may still want to consolidate it to make it eligible for a relief program without losing benefits on their other Direct Loans. Although a single FFEL Consolidation Loan is generally not eligible to consolidate by itself, you can consolidate it by itself if you want to participate in the PSLF program or if you are consolidating to remove the loan from default. You are allowed to consolidate for this reason even if you are not currently working in public service, but think you might in the future.
When you apply, you will have to choose a repayment plan. And if you choose an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan you’ll be asked to submit an application for the IDR plan as well. For more information, see our page on choosing a repayment plan.
You will likely be asked to select a loan servicer from a list of choices. There is no obvious choice and there isn’t a lot of useful information for choosing between servicers. If you’re happy with your current servicer you may want to stick with them. If you are pursuing PSLF then you’ll be assigned to MOHELA.
After you complete the application, send the forms to one of the four loan servicers below. You can choose which loan servicer you send these forms to.