Thousands of Student Borrowers Will Benefit
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education is deferring scheduled repayments through its No-Interest Loan Program (serviced by Heartland-ECSI) for a period of four months. Students will next receive a bill in the middle of July 2020 with the next payment due on August 1, 2020. Approximately 40% of the students who have borrowed funds to finance their college educations and have begun to repay their loans will benefit from the deferment.
“We know this is a time of great uncertainty and anxiety for students,” said Dr. Clantha McCurdy, DHE’s Senior Deputy Commissioner of Access and Student Financial Assistance. “This plan will allow us to address the concerns of those who may be experiencing sudden changes with regard to their personal finances, while at the same time safeguarding the program for future borrowers.”
A letter released to student borrowers informs them of the following:
Over the life of the program, 18,000 Massachusetts borrowers have received No-Interest loans. Students with questions or concerns regarding their NIL accounts are advised to contact DHE’s Office of Student Financial Assistance at 617.391.6070 or Heartland-ECSI at 888.549.3274. Borrowers may view their account at www.heartlandecsi.com.