Relationship Adds Value

Guarantor Flow—Guarantee and Origination

ASA Direct^®

ASA Direct is a Web-based FFELP administration tool that offers you and your students a single point of contact for managing all aspects of the student loan, including:

• – loan origination
• – e-Signature
• – real-time statuses
• – electronic updates
• – disbursement approvals, cancellations and reductions
• – customized reports

And, ASA Direct can be customized to display your school’s logo and information.

Borrower or School Initiated Stafford

With Borrower Initiated Stafford, borrowers can apply for Stafford Loans online via ASA Direct prior to the school’s certification—and you control the loan workflow. Only students attending institutions who elect to utilize this feature will be allowed to start the loan process.

Under School Initiated Stafford, you can begin a student loan with an electronic or paper School Certification.

Common Record and CommonLine^®

Common Record provides electronics standards for FFELP participants to exchange loan files and data using extensible mark-up language (XML)—making information sharing easier than ever. American Student Assistance also supports the full features of CommonLine 4, and accepts Common Record and CommonLine files via an FTP site, e-mail or ASA Direct.

ELM

ELM automates the exchange of and updates to FFELP and alternative loan data via the Internet. The American Student Assistance team of ELM experts works closely with our ELM school, lender and servicer partners to ensure smooth processing, and allows schools a central point of contact for origination and disbursement.

e-Signature

Electronic signature (e-Sign) allows students and parents to sign their Stafford and PLUS MPNs online—speeding the loan process and providing a paperless, efficient and secure way for borrowers to apply for a Federal Family Education Loan. e-Signature also offers borrowers the ability to access and review a copy of the e-Signed MPN at any time throughout the life of the loan.

PLUS by Web or Phone

Parents can jumpstart the PLUS application process online or over the phone, and request a real-time credit decision, by visiting ASA Direct, or calling American Student Assistance customer service at 800.999.9080. You can also start the pre-approval credit check process on behalf of parents via telephone or online.

Lender Flow—Guarantee Only

Instant Guarantee

Our advanced processing system delivers FFELP guarantees in real time, usually within minutes of loan submission.

Blanket Guarantee

Blanket Guarantee allows lenders to approve and disburse loans prior to sending student loan data to American Student Assistance for guarantee, speeding the origination and disbursement of loans.

ELM

ELM automates the exchange of and updates to FFELP and alternative loan data via the Internet. The American Student Assistance team of ELM experts works closely with our ELM school, lender and servicer partners to ensure smooth processing, and allows schools a central point of contact for origination and disbursement.

Relationship Adds Value

Customer Service and Consultation

At American Student Assistance, we put our expertise, experience and technology to work to make the loan program manageable to the individual customer on a human level. You and your students receive the support and service they need at any stage of the loan process, from origination through to successful repayment.

Knowledgeable Staff

American Student Assistance has made a conscious commitment to hiring customer relations staff with previous experience in education financing. In fact, prior financial aid and student loan professionals comprise 95% of our business development and client management team. And our client managers have, on average, 7 to 8 years of prior experience working in a financial aid office. So when you talk to one of our representatives, you are talking with someone who’s been in your shoes—who knows what you do every day and can help you to do it better.

Personal Attention

Our clients benefit from having one point of contact for all their customer service needs—so you never have to worry about “calling around” our organization to get quick answers to questions. You can count on accountability and integrity when you contact American Student Assistance. Each of our client managers handles a caseload of no more than 20 schools, ensuring that you receive personal attention and support.

Free Training

American Student Assistance offers a wide variety of industry-specific and professional development training sessions for all audiences, from financial aid novices to those at the director level. Sessions are offered at convenient locations throughout the country, or we can arrange customized on-campus training events for you and your staff. We help you train new staff on the various nuances of student loans and stay current with the latest trends.

Origination, Operational and Technical Consulting

Regulations, organizational changes and the proliferation of technology constantly challenge financial aid administrators and make even simple things seem complex. So how do you choose what software application to use or how to process your FFELP portfolio? There are no quick answers, but we can help you respond to these critical questions. Our knowledgeable consultants will analyze your unique needs and suggest the products and services that will truly benefit you.

Annual Symposium

For two decades, American Student Assistance’s annual symposium has played host to the best and brightest professionals from every facet of the higher education finance industry. This educational and interactive event, free to financial aid professionals, gives attendees the chance to discuss trends in student aid, examine challenges and solutions and share success stories with colleagues. Each year’s agenda contains roundtable discussions, workshops, presentations by industry professionals and even a student panel.

Electronic News and Updates

American Student Assistance keeps you up-to-date on the changing student loan environment. MyASA enables you to sign in and customize how you see information available from www.amsa.com.

Repayment Assistance for Borrowers

Who will be there for your students after they’ve left your school? Rest assured that American Student Assistance will serve as a debt management resource to your students long after they leave your campus. Our payment advisors work with borrowers to find flexible repayment strategies that fit their budget—and if borrowers run into repayment trouble, we’ll advise them on ways to avoid default. Our innovative programs help you lower cohort default rates and keep borrowers in good standing.

Support for Students and Parents

Rely on American Student Assistance to be available to students and parents. Each year, we answer approximately 80,000 calls from student loan borrowers regarding loan status, disbursement, cancellations and more. For parents with no Internet access, our convenient PLUS by Phone service gives credit decisions in minutes. Our call center is available for assistance Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST. Students and parents can also track their loans online via ASA Direct^®.