Summer Sessions Loan

You are a UC Berkeley undergraduate student.

You are enrolled in at least six units in Berkeley Summer Sessions or at least six units in a combination of Berkeley Summer Sessions, Berkeley Summer Abroad, or Education Abroad Program.

You received the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) or the Middle Class Access Plan (MCAP) award in the 2022-2023 academic year.

You meet all Summer Aid eligibility requirements.

You can qualify for a maximum of $4,000 in the Summer Sessions Loan based on federal need.

Please note the Summer Sessions Loan is NOT available to students enrolled through the Summer Intercampus Program.

The Summer Sessions Loan will be included as part of your summer financial aid package if you are eligible.

If you wish to borrow the loan, you can begin by accepting the loan under the My Finances tab in CalCentral.

You can complete the Heartland ECSI loan requirements once you receive an email from ECSI beginning May 10. The email will contain an ECSI PIN necessary for successful login and completion of the online process. Check all your Berkeley email folders, including the spam folder, for this email.

The Heartland ECSI email will include a PIN for logging into Electronic Promissory Notes. Please log in with your SSN and PIN to complete the following loan requirements:

• Entrance Loan Counseling (contains a short multiple-choice quiz)

• Master Promissory Note (consists of the Truth in Lending Act disclosure)

Heartland ECSI does not share student PIN information with UC Berkeley. If you cannot locate the email with your PIN information, please contact ECSI. You may need to provide ECSI with your Social Security Number, full legal name, permanent address, and date of birth, as it appears in CalCentral.

Please note to receive reimbursement from the Summer Sessions Loan before the end of Session A, complete loan requirements by the third week of June, and to receive reimbursement from the Summer Sessions Loan for all other sessions, complete the requirements by the end of July. Please complete the required processes by the following deadlines:

After the student completes the Summer Sessions Loan requirements and the mandatory three-business day rescission period is over, UC Berkeley will receive an electronic confirmation from Heartland ECSI. 

Your Loan Requirements task in CalCentral will be completed once UC Berkeley receives confirmation from ECSI.

The loan will be disbursed to your student account if you meet all eligibility criteria.

You will receive a refund if your loan disbursement exceeds your outstanding charges for the Summer term.

Billing and Payment Services will notify you if you are eligible for a refund.

Please Sign Up for Direct Deposit if you want your refund deposited directly into your bank account.

Notify the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office by opening a case with Cal Student Central if you would like your Summer Sessions Loan or Federal Direct Loans reduced or canceled.

Interest accrual and repayment of the Summer Sessions Loan begins nine months after you leave school or any time you drop below half-time enrollment.

Interest will accrue from the beginning of the repayment period, and periods of authorized deferment are not included in the repayment period.

Interest is fixed at 5%, and the standard repayment period is five years.

You can make payments on your UC Berkeley Summer Sessions Loan to the loan servicer Heartland ECSI.

Complete Exit Loan Counseling with Heartland ECSI if you leave school, graduate, or enroll less than half-time.

Keep your contact information up-to-date with UC Berkeley and Heartland ECSI to receive essential information regarding repayment.

You can repay your loan without penalty at any time. The faster you pay your loan, the less interest you pay over time.

You will receive information regarding beginning repayment toward the end of your nine-month grace period.

If you have yet to receive repayment information, please contact UC Berkeley at accountconsultants@berkeley.edu, Heartland ECSI, or open a case with Cal Student Central.

Please note UC Berkeley changed the loan servicer from ACS to Heartland ECSI on August 1, 2017. If you borrowed a Summer Sessions Loan before August 1, 2017, your account balance was transferred to ECSI.

Cal Student Central is the destination for student inquiries related to financial aid, fees and billing, disbursements, registration, and enrollment.

Please notify the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office by opening a case with Cal Student Central if you would like your Summer Sessions Loan or Federal Direct Loans reduced or canceled.