What to do when a Brazos account holder dies
Contact Brazos — 6-step process, 3 required documents, and brazos does not publish a fixed timeline for processing a deceased borrower's loan. discharge (in-school loan) or reassignment to the cosigner (refinance loan) follows the servicer's receipt of acceptable proof of death. brazos does not accelerate the debt on death.
Brazos Higher Education
5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
Brazos Higher Education
5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
Brazos Higher Education (loans serviced by American Education Services / AES)
5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
When an account holder at Brazos dies, the executor contacts the Brazos Higher Education (loans serviced by American Education Services / AES) (1-800-453-0841) to report the death and request the balance as of the date of death. The balance is a claim against the estate: it is paid from estate assets, in the order the state sets, before anything reaches the heirs.
Before contacting Brazos, have the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any available account numbers ready. A certified death certificate is required to initiate the claim.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Brazos works as follows:
Filing a claim
- In-school Brazos Student Loan (or parent loan) — on the borrower's death the loan is forgiven as to all parties, including any cosigner; nothing is owed by the estate or the cosigner
- Brazos refinance loan — on the borrower's death the borrower is removed and any cosigner becomes solely responsible for the remaining balance; the balance is not forgiven and moves to the cosigner
- Either product — if a cosigner (not the borrower) dies, the cosigner is removed and the borrower remains solely responsible for repayment
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate for the deceased borrower or cosigner ("acceptable proof of death")
- The Brazos / American Education Services (AES) loan account number
- A written notice of death identifying the estate contact, if submitting by mail
What to know at this institution
A Brazos student loan or refinance loan is a debt, not an asset — there is no payable-on-death or beneficiary designation. The estate-critical fact is Brazos's own death/discharge policy, which differs by product: an in-school Brazos Student Loan is "forgiven as to all parties, including the cosigner" on the borrower's death, while a Brazos refinance loan is NOT forgiven — the deceased borrower is removed and any cosigner "will be solely responsible for repayment." Across both, Brazos states it does not accelerate the debt upon death or total and permanent disability and "will not pursue the estate [of] a deceased individual." All Brazos loans are serviced by American Education Services (AES), so proof of death is submitted through AES (or reported to Brazos at 1-800-453-0841 / info@help.studentloans.com). Brazos does not publish a dedicated deceased-borrower claim form, so the notice is claimant-drafted (user-drafted).
Prepare your letter of instruction to Brazos
Brazos accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Brazos's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Brazos: Brazos does not publish a fixed timeline for processing a deceased borrower's loan. Discharge (in-school loan) or reassignment to the cosigner (refinance loan) follows the servicer's receipt of acceptable proof of death. Brazos does not accelerate the debt on death. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Brazos requires Certified copy of the death certificate for the deceased borrower or cosigner ("acceptable proof of death"), The Brazos / American Education Services (AES) loan account number, and A written notice of death identifying the estate contact, if submitting by mail to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the product. On an in-school Brazos Student Loan, Brazos's published policy is that on acceptable proof of the borrower's death the loan is forgiven as to all parties, including any cosigner — nothing is owed. On a Brazos refinance loan, the deceased borrower is removed from the loan and any cosigner becomes solely responsible for the remaining balance; the balance is not forgiven. In both cases Brazos does not accelerate the debt and does not pursue the estate of a deceased individual. Submit a certified death certificate to the servicer, American Education Services (AES), or report the death to Brazos at 1-800-453-0841.
No. Brazos's refinance loan does not follow the in-school forgiveness rule. Brazos states that on the borrower's death the borrower is removed from the loan and any cosigner will be solely responsible for repayment of the remaining balance. Refinancing a federal student loan into a Brazos private refinance loan gives up the federal death-discharge protection. Brazos does not accelerate the debt on death and does not pursue the estate, but a surviving cosigner remains obligated on the balance.
No. Brazos states that it does not accelerate debt upon death or total and permanent disability of any party to the loan and will not pursue the estate of a deceased individual. On an in-school loan the balance is forgiven; on a refinance loan the balance shifts to any cosigner. The estate's task is to submit acceptable proof of death, not to pay off the loan from estate assets.
All Brazos loans are serviced by American Education Services (AES). Proof of death (a certified death certificate) is submitted to AES using the contact information on the borrower's statement, or the death can be reported to Brazos at 1-800-453-0841 or info@help.studentloans.com, which will direct where to send the documents. Brazos's corporate mailing address is 5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712.
On both the in-school Brazos Student Loan and the Brazos refinance loan, if the cosigner (not the borrower) dies, Brazos removes the cosigner and the borrower remains solely responsible for repayment of the loan. Brazos does not accelerate the debt or pursue the deceased cosigner's estate. Submit acceptable proof of the cosigner's death to the servicer, American Education Services (AES).
No. A student loan and a refinance loan are debts, not assets, so there is no payable-on-death, transfer-on-death, or beneficiary designation and a Brazos loan cannot be titled to a trust. When the borrower dies, an in-school loan is forgiven, while a refinance loan's balance passes to any cosigner. There is nothing for the borrower to designate and nothing for an heir to inherit.
Brazos acts on "acceptable proof of death," which is a certified copy of the death certificate for the deceased borrower or cosigner, along with the loan account number. Because Brazos forgives the in-school loan or shifts the refinance balance to a cosigner rather than collecting from the estate, no court appointment paperwork is generally required just to report the death and stop billing. Submit the death certificate to the servicer, American Education Services (AES), or through Brazos at 1-800-453-0841.
Brazos's Brazos Higher Education (loans serviced by American Education Services / AES) can be reached by phone at 1-800-453-0841 and email at info@help.studentloans.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Brazos primary sources (4 pages reviewed). How we research.
Brazos Higher Education
5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
Brazos Higher Education
5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
Brazos Higher Education (loans serviced by American Education Services / AES)
5609 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
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