Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority

What Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority does

Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) is a state-chartered quasi-governmental authority established by the Missouri General Assembly in 1981 and headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri. The organization is the legal entity "Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri," operating as one of the U.S. Department of Education's primary federal student loan servicers under contract with the Office of Federal Student Aid. MOHELA services Direct Loans (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and PLUS), Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, and TEACH Grants; administers income-driven repayment plans including IBR, PAYE, ICR, and SAVE; processes Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and other forgiveness and discharge programs; and absorbs portfolios transferred from other servicers such as Navient. In parallel, MOHELA owns and services a portfolio of private-label CASHLoans (MEDCASH, MEDCASH+, GRADCASH, LAWCASH, BARCASH, Rate Relief, EDCASH) targeted at medical, graduate, law, and bar-exam borrowers, with benefits including a 3% military interest rate and modification options.

MOHELA's core technology is a web-based loan servicing platform delivered through mohela.com, mohela.studentaid.gov, and servicing.mohela.com, complemented by iOS and Android mobile applications. The platform supports online account management, secure document upload, paperless correspondence, Auto Debit enrollment with a 0.25% interest-rate reduction, repayment-plan evaluation calculators, and phone servicing. Security controls include Extended Validation SSL, multi-factor authentication on unrecognized devices, DNSSEC, TLS 1.2+, and SSAE-18 audited physical, logical, and process controls.

The business model is managed-services revenue: MOHELA does not charge borrowers directly for servicing, instead receiving per-account fees from the U.S. Department of Education under its federal servicing contract, supplemented by interest and modification income on its owned CASHLoan portfolio. Borrower acquisition is non-commercial — customers are assigned by the Department of Education or transferred from other servicers — making the U.S. government, in effect, the sole paying customer. In 2024, the company reported processing 37+ million borrower payments, facilitating 3.3+ million customer service calls, and hosting 24+ million web visits; its foundation contributed $11+ million in scholarships, grants, and interest-free loans.

Name

Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority

Legal name

Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri

Website

https://mohela.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) is a Missouri-chartered authority that services U.S. Department of Education federal student loans and administers its own private CASHLoans for medical, graduate, and law borrowers, serving millions of assigned borrowers nationally from Chesterfield, Missouri.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Loan Servicing

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Administration of Education Programs (92311)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Loan Servicing & Loan Administration (FSAKAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Loan Programs & Servicers (Public/Nonprofit) (EDADAHAE), Student Loan Advisory & Repayment Assistance (FSAEAFAE), Private Student Loans (Undergraduate & Graduate) (FSAKAEAB), Education Line of Credit (Education LOC) (FSAKAEAH)

Keywords

• Federal student loan servicing
• Student loan management
• Education loan lending
• Loan consolidation services
• Public service loan forgiveness

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Student Loan Servicing Contract: MOHELA services federal student loans (Direct Loans, FFEL Program loans, and CASHLoans) under contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid. The company receives servicing fees from the government to manage loan accounts, process payments, administer repayment plans, forgiveness programs, and customer communications. This is the primary revenue stream.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) is a state-chartered authority that services federal student loans under contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid office, processing payments, administering repayment plans, and managing forgiveness programs for Direct Loan and FFEL Program borrowers. In addition to federal loan servicing, MOHELA originates and services its own private student loan portfolio branded as CASHLoans. The company provides web-based and mobile account management tools supporting millions of student loan borrowers nationwide.

Product overview

MOHELA (Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority) operates as a federal student loan servicer and lender offering a comprehensive suite of student loan products and account management services. The core offerings include federal student loan servicing for FFEL and Direct Loans on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, alongside CASHLoans as a private loan alternative. The product portfolio spans multiple interconnected services: loan repayment management through various plans (Standard, Graduated, Extended, IBR, PAYE, SAVE, ICR); loan forgiveness programs including PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and TEACH Grants; account management tools including mobile apps and online portals; payment processing via Auto Debit and multiple payment methods; loan consolidation; deferment and forbearance options; and specialized military benefits. These products and services work together as an integrated ecosystem where borrowers can manage their entire student loan lifecycle from school through repayment to forgiveness, with self-service tools available through web and mobile platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Federal Student Loan Servicing

Quantifiable outcome

• 37+ million borrower payments processed in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Department of Education (Federal Student Aid)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOHELA operates as an official federal student loan servicer under contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid. The company services Direct Loans, FFEL Program loans, and processes government programs including PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and income-driven repayment plans on behalf of FSA.
• Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation (MSLF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOHELA's foundation contributes over $11 million annually in student scholarships, grants, and interest-free loans. The foundation supports Missouri programs and educational initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Maximus: Maximus operates the Aidvantage federal student loan servicing program and is a diversified government services contractor; it directly competes with MOHELA for federal servicing contracts while also providing broader BPO services to federal agencies.
• Discover Student Loans: Discover is a large private student loan originator and servicer with a portfolio spanning undergraduate, graduate, and professional school loans — competing with MOHELA's CASHLoan products and adjacent to its FFEL legacy book.
• SoFi: SoFi originates and refinances private student loans and provides student loan repayment products adjacent to MOHELA's CASHLoan private loan offerings; it overlaps on private student lending rather than federal servicing.
• Navient (now part of Navient Solutions / separated servicing book): Historically one of the largest federal student loan servicers, Navient has been transferring its remaining federal servicing portfolio to MOHELA and other remaining servicers — making it a former direct competitor whose runoff volume now expands MOHELA's book.

Direct peers

• Nelnet: Nelnet Servicing is one of the largest U.S. federal student loan servicers under contract with the Department of Education, directly competing with MOHELA for allocated borrower volume and federal servicing contracts.
• ECSI (Heartland ECSI): ECSI services Perkins Loans, institutional student loans, and other campus-based loan portfolios for colleges and universities — overlapping with MOHELA's FFEL and institutional servicing capabilities.
• Aidvantage: Aidvantage is the branded federal student loan servicing unit operated by Maximus; it is a current contracted federal servicer that receives Direct Loan allocations and even handles consolidation processing before transferring loans to other servicers like MOHELA.

Emerging players

• College Ave Student Loans: College Ave originates private student loans for undergraduate and graduate students, partially overlapping with MOHELA's private CASHLoan products in the professional education lending space.
• Inceptia: Inceptia is a nonprofit student loan servicer and default prevention provider serving colleges and lenders, partially overlapping with MOHELA's institutional servicing and default-prevention/financial literacy offerings.
• Earnest: Earnest provides private student loan refinancing and new originations, overlapping with MOHELA's CASHLoan product family for professional and graduate students.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mohela
• Facebookfacebook.com/MOHELA.USA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mohela

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority