PHEAA's Online Self-Service Options Give Students and Borrowers Greater Control
Account Access, Direct Debit and eBilling save time and money
Harrisburg, PA (June 15, 2009) - PHEAA encourages students and families to use the many online self-service features available at PHEAA.org and aesSuccess.org. PHEAA does business nationally as American Education Services (AES), so both websites offer similar online options. These self-service features allow students to save time, track their state grant, special program and loan application status, sign up for direct debit, make loan payments online, update their personal information, and put an end to monthly paper billing statements.
“PHEAA's mission is to increase access to higher education,” notes PHEAA Board Chairman, William F. Adolph. “Making the entire student aid process more user-friendly and giving students and families more control of their information are important factors for making a college education attainable.”
Students and families who borrow through PHEAA's KeystoneBESTSM Loan Program can apply for federal student loans online using the electronic signature feature and then follow the status of their loan application on PHEAA.org's Account Access. Families can also use Account Access to track their Pennsylvania State Grant or Special Program application status.
Borrowers can also enroll in Direct Debit to have their monthly payment automatically withdrawn from their checking or savings account, ensuring that payments are made in a timely manner. If borrowers choose not to take advantage of Direct Debit, they can still make monthly loan payments online.
This spring, AES launched a paperless campaign to encourage borrowers to sign up for eBilling (electronic billing) , replacing monthly paper bills received via traditional postal delivery with monthly email reminders. Targeted email blasts and ads on aesSuccess.org resulted in 43,000 more bills transitioned to eBilling—a 34% jump.
“The eBilling campaign has also been a significant savings generator for the Agency,” said Senator Sean Logan, Vice Chairman of the PHEAA Board. “Eliminating 43,000 monthly paper bills saves an additional $200,000 annually and is another example of the cost efficiency measures we continually monitor to identify smarter ways to do business.”
The eBilling campaign is also eco-friendly, saving 18,500 pounds of paper, preserving 45,400 square feet of trees from deforestation, conserving 176,000 gallons of water and preventing the emission of 329,600 pounds of greenhouse gases each month.
Borrowers interested in enrolling in any online self-service feature should visit PHEAA.org for additional information.