Direct Loan Process

Upon accepting a student loan you must complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note. You will need your FSA ID that you used to sign your FAFSA. Click on the links below to complete these steps:

At the end of each academic year, all students who accepted direct loans are required to complete Exit Counseling. You will need your FSA ID to complete this. Click the link below to complete this:

Direct Loan Limits

  Dependent Student Independent Student
Freshman
(0-32 credit hours)		 $5,500 per school year
(No more than $3,500 may be subsidized)		 $5,500 per school year
(No more than $3,500 may be subsidized)
Sophomore
(32+ credit hours)		 $6,500 per school year
(No more than $4,500 may be subsidized)		 $6,500 per school year
(No more than $4,500 may be subsidized)
  • If dependent student needs more money, parents have to take out a Parent Plus Loan. If Plus loan is denied, additional $4,000 in unsubsidized loans can be awarded. Student must complete an Additional Aid Request Form to receive the extra funding.
  • If independent student needs more money, an additional $4,000 in unsubsidized loans can be awarded. Must have written statement from student.

Aggregate (Total) Loan Limits

Aggregate (total) loan limits for all subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, whether solely from the Direct Loan Program or in combination with a previous Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) Stafford loans, are:

  • $31,000 for a dependent undergraduate student (no more than $23,000 may be subsidized)
  • $57,500 for an independent undergraduate student¹ (no more than $23,000 may be subsidized)

¹ This includes dependent students whose parents are unable to borrow a PLUS loan.

Loan Consolidation

 A Direct Consolidation Loan allows you to consolidate (combine) multiple federal education loans into one loan. The result is a single monthly payment instead of multiple payments.

For more information about loan consolidation visit the Federal Student Aid website here