Central Research Student Loans: What to Know About the New Federal Servicer

The Department of Education awards federal student loan servicing contracts to private companies. One of these relatively new loan servicers is Central Research, Inc., a small player in the student loan servicing space.

Student loan borrowers might be switched to Central Research to complete their repayment, so it’s important to understand the basics of this company and what to expect.

What is Central Research, Inc?

Central Research, Inc. (CRI) is a small business located in Arkansas. It prides itself on being veteran-owned. The company has had the U.S. Department of Education as a customer in the past, with a contract to help student borrowers with loan rehabilitation on student debt in default.

Central Research also has contracts with other government agencies, including the Small Business Administration, the Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army. Services provided by Central Research included IT services, data management, call centers and other program support functions.

This represents a step up in the company’s potential to work with the government by being part of the latest student loan repayment servicing contract and not just supporting borrowers with delinquent student loans. However, the company’s previous work with the government and its current engagements, as well as its previous experience on a Department of Education project might have contributed to its current eligibility for the most recent loan servicing contract.

Central Research customer feedback

Central Research provides services that put it on par with debt collection agencies, which can impact some of the customer feedback. The tactics used can be phone calls and wage garnishment. However, the company has also helped student loan borrowers get out of default and bring their accounts in order.

CRI isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but it has a handful of negative customer service reviews and 16 complaints that have been closed in the last 12 months.

There are no reviews on Trustpilot.

Most of the feedback on Central Research, Inc. comes from employees on sites like Glassdoor or from women on websites like InHerSight. Glassdoor has CRI at a 3.6 rating, while InHerSight lists it as a 4.0 average rating.

How does Central Research compare to other student loan servicers?

In general, CRI is a smaller company providing support to the U.S. government when it comes to student loan servicing.

September 2025 data from the Department of Education shows each servicer manages the following amounts:

• CRI: $52 billion
• MOHELA: $323.6 billion
• Nelnet: $506.4 billion
• EdFinancial Services: $225.1 billion
• AidVantage: $383.2 billion

Note that ECSI is another federal student loan servicer, but it doesn't handle a large share of borrower accounts and is primarily responsible for servicing loans through the Department of Health and Human Services and Perkins Loans.

Central Research’s share of the pie is relatively small compared to the other main players. It’s also important to note that Nelnet Diversified Solutions is a subsidiary of Nelnet, which has had much larger contracts in the past, continues to service older federal loans (including those from the FFEL program), and even has private loans in its portfolio.

Additionally, Maximus Education operates Aidvantage, the company that took over the massive federal student loan (including more recent Direct Loans) portfolio operated by Navient.

As a smaller player in the industry, Central Research has a chance to prove itself with its loan program. Additionally, with the relatively small amount involved, along with a smaller number of borrowers, there’s a chance that Central Research might be able to handle its load.

Finally, even though Central Research is relatively small, it already has experience with higher education contracts through its default resolution service. Additionally, CRI lists MOHELA as one of its customers. The company has experience understanding forbearance, deferment, PLUS Loans, income-driven repayment terms and other programs related to federal loan payments.

What to do if Central Research is your new servicer

If you have a new student loan servicer, you should be notified of the situation and can confirm on your StudentAid.gov dashboard by logging in with your FSA ID and password. Information about your loans, including how much you owe and your interest rates, is available, along with your current servicer.

If you end up being transferred to a new servicer, watch for information regarding how to handle payments going forward, and make a note of your new account information. You’ll likely need to set up online access with Central Research. Make sure you understand when you need to make monthly payments to Central Research.

How to contact Central Research about your student loans

You can find contact information about your servicer, including if its CRI, on your dashboard.

You can also contact Central Research directly through email using your CRI online account or by calling during regular business hours, which are:

• 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time on Monday
• 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday

The phone number for Central Research is 833-355-4306. General correspondence can be sent to P.O. Box 83106, Lincoln, NE 68501-3106.

Central Research FAQs

What can you do if you don’t want Central Research as your servicer?

In general, if you don’t like your current servicer, you need to either submit paperwork to be considered for PSLF and be found eligible to pursue it, or you need to apply for federal loan consolidation. However, any consolidations disbursed after July 1, 2026 will only be eligible for two repayment plans: the standard repayment plan or the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). So, it's not worth consolidating at this point just to get a new loan servicer when you'll likely box yourself out of more affordable repayment options under the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan.

Another option is to refinance your student loans. Refinancing will make your loans private, however, and you won’t be eligible for a federal repayment plan or loan forgiveness.

If you aren't sure of where your student loans stand, check your StudentAid.gov dashboard asap to see who your servicer is, and be vigilant in order to avoid missed payments.