The U.S. Department of Education has announced an upcoming transition to a new Federal Perkins Loan servicer and has provided guidance to help schools prepare for the change. The announcement outlines what institutions can expect during the transition period and the steps they should take to ensure a smooth handoff of Perkins Loan servicing responsibilities.
The announcement stated that the servicing of federally held Federal Perkins Loan Program loans (Perkins Loans) over the next few months will transition 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.
The announcement provides preliminary information regarding the impact of the transition on schools assigning Perkins Loans to the U.S. Department of Education.
Submission of Perkins Loans for Assignment: 60-Day Pause Key Dates
Oct. 1, 2026 – ECSI will no longer accept submissions or resubmissions of Perkins Loans for assignment from schools. ECSI will continue to work through any existing 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.
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.
FSA will update the Perkins Assignment and Liquidation Guide by Dec. 1, 2026, to include GCR’s mailing address and other 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.
FSA will keep the community informed about the progress of the transition through Electronic Announcements posted on the Knowledge Center.
If you have questions you can contact the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. The contact center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Eastern time. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.
SOURCE: (CB-26-14) Federal Perkins Loan Servicer Change – School Transition Information