We will transition the servicing of federally held Federal Perkins Loan Program loans (Perkins Loans) over the next few months from the current servicer, ECSI Federal Perkins Loan Servicer (ECSI), to GCR Servicing (GCR). The anticipated completion date for the transition is Dec. 1, 2026.
This announcement provides information regarding the impact of the transition on schools assigning Perkins Loans to the U.S. Department of Education.
Sept. 30, 2026 - Access to the ECSI website will be disabled for all schools at 5 p.m. Eastern time (ET).
Oct. 1, 2026 – ECSI will no longer accept submissions or resubmissions of Perkins Loans for assignment from schools. ECSI will continue to process pending assignments, so schools may still receive acceptance reports and other communications from ECSI after Oct. 1, 2026. However, schools should not make any new submissions or resubmissions. Schools must hold any assignment packets and resubmissions not submitted to ECSI by Oct. 1, 2026, for submission to GCR after the transition is complete. ECSI will reject any new submissions or resubmissions received after Oct. 1, 2026.
Oct. 1, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026 - ECSI will continue to process pending assignments received before Oct. 1, 2026. An abridged follow-up process will be used for assignments for which additional information or documentation is needed:
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First contact attempt – upon initial review: ECSI will email a pending report to the school and attempt to contact the school by phone.
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Second contact attempt – three calendar days later: If the outstanding information or items have not been received, ECSI will contact the school again by phone and email.
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Rejection – seven calendar days after second attempt: If the outstanding items remain unresolved, ECSI will email a rejection notification and return the assignment documentation to the school.
ECSI will make every effort to conduct initial reviews of assignments received by Oct. 1, 2026, in sufficient time to allow schools to respond to requests for additional documentation or information through the abridged follow-up process described above. However, if ECSI is unable to review an assignment before Oct. 26, 2026, the assignment will be rejected if it cannot be accepted as submitted (the abridged follow-up process will not occur).
Dec. 1, 2026 – Anticipated completion date of the transfer of federally held Perkins Loans from ECSI to GCR, and the anticipated date that schools may begin submitting Perkins Loans for assignment to GCR.
We will update the Perkins Assignment and Liquidation Guide to include GCR’s mailing address and contact information, as well as information regarding the new GCR electronic assignment system. Please make sure to consult the Perkins Assignment and Liquidation Guide for all assignment submission and mailing instructions.
We will keep the community informed about the progress of the transition through Electronic Announcements posted on the Knowledge Center.
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Borrowers will receive a goodbye letter from ECSI around Nov. 1, 2026, which will provide additional details regarding the transfer of their loans.
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The servicer will hold all loan consolidation requests from Nov. 15–mid-December 2026.
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Borrowers will still need to send payments to ECSI before Dec. 1, 2026.
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GCR will be transitioning borrowers’ loans to their system from Dec. 1– mid-December 2026.
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GCR will send borrowers a welcome letter around mid-December 2026.
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GCR will provide their contact information, payment information, and other important details.
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GCR will also advise borrowers that they must re-establish auto-drafts.
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If you have questions about the information in this announcement, contact the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. Starting Aug. 28, 2026, the contact center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, ET. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.