Navient is a student loan servicer that handles both private and federal student loans. The company was created in 1973 as a division of the Student Loan Marketing Association, otherwise known as Sallie Mae, but split with the company in 2014. Today, Navient services more than $300 billion in student loans for more than 10 million customers.

Navient is a student loan servicer, or a company that acts as a middleman between you and your lender. It handles administrative tasks such as sending bills, collecting payments, enrolling borrowers in repayment plans, reporting account activity to the consumer credit bureaus and helping customers resolve issues.

Is Navient a good student loan servicer?

Navient is a private student loan servicer. They no longer service federal loans, and borrowers cannot access federal programs through them. If you have private loans with Navient, you may be able to take advantage of the benefits of refinancing your student loans to improve your interest rate or loan terms.

Navient has agreed to provide debt cancellation to certain borrowers, reform its loan-servicing practices, provide restitution, and refrain from certain unfair and deceptive practices. Unhappy borrowers should consider refinancing their loans or contact the servicer directly to find a resolution.

Navient has earned the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Torch Award for Ethics. Navient also provides support services to assist customers with paying off their student loans, such as student loan basics videos, account management, common questions, payment addresses and secure document upload. Navient has partnered with third parties to collect information for analysis, auditing, research and reporting.

However, Navient is a profit-making company that is tasked with servicing loans. It can also be difficult to navigate its website and contact customer service representatives. It’s also important to note that Navient has had several lawsuits.

How do I know if Navient is my servicer?

If your federal student loan was serviced by Navient, it was likely transferred to a new servicer after its contract expired in December 2021. To find your federal student loan servicer, log in to the Federal Student Aid website using your FSA ID. You’ll find details about your federal student loans, including your “Current ED servicer.” You can also log in to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to find out who services your student loans, or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-4-FED-AID (800-433-3243) for details.

Private student loans won’t be listed on the NSLDS database or the FSA Information Center. To find out who services your private student loans, try logging in to your online account and looking for details there. You can also check your credit reports to see who’s listed as the loan holder.

How do I make Navient payments?

If Navient services your student loan, you have several options for making your monthly payments:

  • Pay online: You can log in to your online account and make a secure payment there. You’ll need your bank account information to schedule an electronic funds transfer.
  • Pay by phone: You can call Navient using your bank account or debit card information. Navient’s contact page lists phone numbers for each type of loan. You’ll need your account number handy.
  • Pay by U.S. mail: Another payment option is mailing a check (with your account number written in the memo line), along with your remittance slip, to Navient. Navient’s contact page lists addresses for each type of loan.

Lawsuits against Navient

Beginning in 2017, the CFPB, several attorneys general and a group of teachers have filed a handful of lawsuits against Navient asserting harmful and deceptive practices. According to the lawsuits, the servicer allegedly:

  • Mismanaged accounts: Navient failed to correctly apply or allocate payments to customer accounts and reported loan payments incorrectly to the consumer credit bureaus.
  • Steered borrowers toward expensive options: The CFPB said that Navient often advised borrowers to enroll in forbearance programs, which could increase the overall debt borrowers owe, instead of income-driven repayment plans.
  • Provided unclear information: Navient didn’t adequately inform borrowers of critical deadlines for income-driven repayment plans or the consequences if they failed to act.
  • Advised expensive options: According to the New Jersey lawsuit, the servicer pushed borrowers into taking out private student loans with co-signers, even if it wasn’t in the best interest of the borrower.
  • Collected more than the due amount: If borrowers were late on their payments, the New Jersey lawsuit says that Navient told borrowers they owed more than they did. The servicer would then collect the amount that was past due, plus the next month’s payment.

If Navient services your student loans, track your payments to ensure they’re processed correctly. You can report issues to the servicer directly. If Navient doesn’t resolve the issue, you can file a complaint with the CFPB, the Department of Education, your state attorney general’s office or your state consumer protection office.

How to contact Navient

You can contact Navient during its normal hours of operation, which are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET and Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Contact details vary depending on your student loan program. Toll-free phone numbers for each program are:

  • FFELP and HEAL: (888) 272-5543.
  • U.S. Department of Education student loans: (800) 722-1300.
  • Private student loans: (888) 272-5543.
  • Military service members: (855) 284-4879.

For TDD phone numbers, international phone numbers, fax numbers and addresses, visit Navient’s contact page.

The bottom line

If Navient is your student loan servicer, it will manage your account and can help you with any issues you have. The company offers various payment options, educational guides and information about managing your account on its website. But in light of Navient’s legal troubles, it’s a good idea to make sure that every payment is processed correctly and to watch for any communications with the servicer.

Frequently asked questions

  • Navient services private student loans.
  • If you’re unhappy with your current servicer, you can either pay off your debt in full or transfer your loans to another lender.
  • Navient offers various services besides general account management. These include student loan basics videos and customer service to answer questions.