Ready to say goodbye to student loan debt for good? Learn More
X

Using the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) To Get Your Federal Student Loan Information

3 minute read Upsolve is a nonprofit that helps you get out of debt with education and free debt relief tools, like our bankruptcy filing tool. Think TurboTax for bankruptcy. Get free education, customer support, and community. Featured in Forbes 4x and funded by institutions like Harvard University so we'll never ask you for a credit card.  Explore our free tool


In a Nutshell

You can find all of the info you need to know for your federal student loans in the National Student Loan Data System. This central database contains all of the information you will need to understand your federal student loans including: your loan balance, due dates, eligibility for new loans, and more. If you need to download an NSLDS report, log in to your account on studentaid.gov using your FSA ID and password. Once you're in your account, hover over your name on the top right of the screen and select "My Aid." From there, you can select "Download My Aid Data." Your data will be downloaded as a .txt file.

Written by Attorney Andrea Wimmer
Updated May 8, 2023


Many student loan borrowers have multiple federal student loans. Keeping track of the loan details for each one can be quite difficult. The good news is that you can find information on all of your federal student loans in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).

What Is the National Student Loan Data System?

The NSLDS is a central database for all your federal student loan and grant information. It's run by the U.S. Department of Education, which runs studentaid.gov and oversees federal student aid.

From the NSLDS dashboard, you can get your loan details or the contact information for your loan servicers. You can also view information about any grants (such as Title IV Aid) you've received as well. The NSLDS gets this data from universities and colleges, guaranty agencies, and Department of Education federal student loan programs like the Direct Loan program.

If you have private student loans, they will not show in the NSLDS. The system only houses federal student loan information for loans and grants administered by the U.S. Department of Education. This includes: Title IV loans, Plus Loans, and loans from the Direct Loan Program.

How To Access Your Federal Student Loan Information on the NSLDS

To access your information in the NSLDS, navigate to studentaid.gov and log in to your account: 

StudentAid.Gov Homepage with Arrow pointing to login button

To log in to your account, you'll need your FSA ID username, e-mail or mobile phone number, and password. This is the same log-in you would use for your FAFSA.

If you don’t have an account, you can create one using your Social Security number and your mobile phone number and/or email address. You cannot create an account for someone. 

Screenshot of the studentaid.gov login screen showing username and password fields

To get to your dashboard, you'll need to accept the NSLDS website's terms and conditions. To do so, simply click"Accept" when the terms and conditions pop up after you log in.

Once logged in, you’ll see your dashboard. It will show your total loan status/balance, and a breakdown of your student loan(s). 

NSLDS Dashboard redacted showing arrows to links on webpage

From there, you can view your loan details and your servicer details, including their phone number and mailing address. 

Upsolve Member Experiences

1,727+ Members Online
Jo Pagett
Jo Pagett
★★★★★ 4 days ago
Upsolve was fast and easy from start to file was about a week and no money paid there needs to be more sites like this for help in all financial areas
Read more Google reviews ⇾
Christopher Gonder
Christopher Gonder
★★★★★ 4 days ago
Very cost effective compared to spending thousands of dollars on an attorney, fortunately it was rather simple and quick to file everything since I don't have much that needed to be filed. Overall, great alternative for those who are limited on funding and need to file for bankruptcy.
Read more Google reviews ⇾
Meredith Cooper
Meredith Cooper
★★★★★ 5 days ago
This is an amazing service! They provide you with all the assistance that you need, from beginning to end. The clerk at the bankruptcy court office said, “Upsolve is a wonderful service. The folks that use them always come in completely prepared.” I totally agree, and this service saved me thousands of dollars! Having them available, helped to relieve my stress/anxiety level.
Read more Google reviews ⇾

How To Download Your NSLDS Report

If you're accessing your student loan data for your own information, you can see what you need right on screen in your account. Sometimes, though, you'll need to download an NSLDS report. If you are filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and want to discharge your student loans as part of the process, you'll need to download your NSLDS. Luckily, it's easy to do.

First, follow the steps above to access your account. On your dashboard, look at the top right where you'll see your name and a down arrowhead to the right of it. Hover over your name and a menu will appear. Click the second menu item: "My Aid."

This will bring up an aid summary. On the top right of the summary, you'll see a link that says "Download My Aid Data." Click that link.

Finally, you'll see a pop up message explaining that this report contains personal and financial information and that you should only download it from a secure internet connection. Press "Continue" to download your NSLDS report. Save the file where you want it on your computer or look in your downloads to find it. The file will be a .txt file.

Why Do I Need To Know How To Access the National Student Loan Data System?

For your federal student loans, NSLDS is an invaluable resource, especially if you have multiple loans with multiple different loan servicers/lenders. With all of the information in one place, it makes a complicated system more manageable. Knowing the ins and outs of your loans can help you stay on top of your student loan repayments, know when disbursement or consolidation is possible, determine eligibility for new loans, and more.  

Student Loans and Bankruptcy

In November 2022, the Department of Justice and Department of Education released updated guidelines for using bankruptcy to discharge student loan debt. One goal of the new guidelines was to "reduce the burden on borrowers" seeking to discharge (get rid of) their student loans as part of their bankruptcy proceeding.

This means that if your student loan debt is a qualifying educational debt under the Bankruptcy Code[1] and repayment could cause you “undue hardship,” you may be eligible to discharge your student loans through bankruptcy, and it's easier to do now than it was before the new guidelines were released.

Upsolve has helped thousands of people prepare their Chapter 7 paperwork for free. If you're considering filing bankruptcy to get rid of your student loan and other debt, check your eligibility today. If you want to talk about your options with a bankruptcy attorney, we can refer you to one for a free consultation.


Sources:


Written By:

Attorney Andrea Wimmer

TwitterLinkedIn

Andrea practiced exclusively as a bankruptcy attorney in consumer Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases for more than 10 years before joining Upsolve, first as a contributing writer and editor and ultimately joining the team as Managing Editor. While in private practice, Andrea handled... read more about Attorney Andrea Wimmer

It's easy to get debt help

Choose one of the options below to get assistance with your debt:

We can help you ask to get your student loans erased

If you qualify, Upsolve can help you file bankruptcy and ask to get rid of your student loan debt.

Check Eligibility
14,916 families have filed with Upsolve! ☆
or

Private Attorney

Get a free evaluation from an independent law firm.

Find Attorney

Learning Center

Research and understand your options with our articles and guides.

Go to Learning Center →

Already an Upsolve user?

Read Support Articles →
Y-Combinator

Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that started in 2016. Our mission is to help low-income families resolve their debt and fix their credit using free software tools. Our team includes debt experts and engineers who care deeply about making the financial system accessible to everyone. We have world-class funders that include the U.S. government, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and leading foundations.

To learn more, read why we started Upsolve in 2016, our reviews from past users, and our press coverage from places like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.