CRI Customer Service: What Student Loan Borrowers Need to Know

Central Research, Inc. (CRI) is a federal student loan servicer that collects and tracks payments for borrowers.

As the newest servicer, CRI began working with student loan borrowers in spring 2024. The Arkansas-based company did not have prior experience as a federal servicer, though it collected defaulted student loans on behalf of the government.

If CRI is your assigned federal student loan servicer, here’s what it can help you do:

• Register for online access to your account. Once you set up your account, you can contact CRI by email, find your monthly billing statements and pay bills.

• Enroll in autopay. CRI can deduct your payments automatically from your bank account. Signing up for autopay will reduce your interest by 0.25 percentage point.

• Sign up for income-driven repayment. You can request income-driven repayment, which limits your student loan payments to a percentage of your income, by completing a paper form with CRI. (You can also apply for an IDR plan online on studentaid.gov.)

• Apply for deferment and forbearance. CRI can help you temporarily stop making payments or reduce your payment amount if you qualify. This helps you stay in good standing to avoid default. During any periods of student loan deferment or forbearance, interest can continue to build.

• Track monthly payments and extra payments. CRI will track and collect your payments. If you want to make additional payments, you can instruct CRI (online, by phone or by mail) to apply extra payments to your current balance. Otherwise, it may instead apply additional payments to next month’s bill.

How do I know if CRI is my servicer?

There are several active servicers. The U.S. Department of Education assigns your loan servicer when your loan is disbursed to your college for the first time. It is the company that sends you a federal student loan bill every month.

If your loan payments haven’t begun or you’re not sure which company is your servicer, log in to your studentaid.gov account to find out. The name of your servicer and a link to your servicer’s website appear on the top right corner of your dashboard. You can also get in touch with any of the loan servicer contact centers by calling 800-4-FED-AID.

Servicers can help you, but they may offer choices that are best for the company. It’s important to know your student loans repayment options so you can know the right questions to ask.

» MORE: Calling your servicer? It pays to prepare

Am I stuck with CRI until my loans are paid off?

Your federal student loan servicer could change depending on government contracts. You’d be notified when a loan servicing transfer happens, and you’d manage payments with the new servicer. Otherwise, you are likely to remain with CRI unless you consolidate your federal student loans. When you consolidate, you can choose a new servicer.

All servicers deliver the same options and programs, but customer service may differ from one to another.

Prior to being transferred to a new servicer, borrowers should do the following:

• Download and save your payment history from your online account or request a copy from your servicer.

• Update your contact information with your most recent address, phone number and email address.

How to reach CRI customer service

CRI phone number: 833-355-4311.

CRI hours of operation: Monday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET; Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET; Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET.

CRI website: CRI.studentaid.gov

CRI email address: Log in to your account to email CRI customer service and submit payments and documents electronically.

CRI address for loan payments:

U.S. Department of Education

P.O. Box 790123

St. Louis, MO 63179-0123

CRI address for general correspondence:

CRI

P.O. Box 83106

Lincoln, NE 68501

CRI address for documents related to deferment, forbearance, repayment plans or enrollment status changes

CRI

Attn: Enrollment Processing

P.O. Box 82539

Lincoln, NE 68501-2565

Fax: 888-462-4163

CRI address for documents related to loan discharge, forgiveness or bankruptcy claims

CRI

Attn: Claims

P.O. Box 82612

Lincoln, NE 68501-2505

Fax: 888-462-4153

How to complain about CRI

If you’re having an issue with CRI that you have been unable to resolve, start by filing a complaint directly with CRI's customer service department.

If your issue remains unresolved, you can also make complaints about CRI to:

• The Federal Student Aid Feedback System.

• Your state attorney general's office.

• Your state consumer protection office.

• Your congressional representative.

Make sure to keep records of conversations you have, including the day, time and customer service representative you spoke with. Keep copies of any letters, bills or emails about your account.

» MORE: How to complain about your student loan bill

How to settle a dispute with CRI

If a complaint doesn’t help, you can contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group. This method should be used only as a last resort, says the federal student aid office. Here’s how to get in touch:

Phone: 1-800-433-3243.

By mail:

U.S. Department of Education

FSA Ombudsman Group

P.O. Box 1854

Monticello, KY 42633

You can also reach out to a student loan nonprofit such as The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, which provides free dispute resolution.

Learn more about each of the federal loan servicers, including what they can do and how to contact them.