Federal Loans
Resources
- Students.gov - Access for students to federal agencies and information about financial aid, career development, education planning, and consumer protection.
- www.myedaccount.com - Direct Loan Servicing website
- Firstgov.gov - A portal to 20,000 government Web sites with some 27 million Web pages, including many related to student financial aid. Visitors can search for government information by topic rather than by agency.
- You'll need to be registered with the Selective Service in order to be eligible for federal funding.
If you were asked for a copy of your birth certificate when you applied for federal funding, you can request one from Vitalchek.
Before You Borrow
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Detailed information on the Stafford loan and Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) programs is available at the Federal Department of Education.
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View the most recent and up-to-date interest rates on federal education loans.
Review our estimates for your cost of attendance to determine if you will need to borrow a loan to meet your needs. Current Federal Stafford Loan Limits are as follows:
| Credits Completed | Dependent | Independent | |
| Freshman | 0-29 | $5,500 | $9,500 |
| Sophomore | 30-59 | $6,500 | $10,500 |
| Junior | 60-89 | $7,500 | $12,500 |
| Senior | 90+ | $7,500 | $12,500 |
| Graduate | $20,500 |
See the Tools & Calculators to help you determine how much to borrow. Check your Eligibility for Financial Aid.
- To apply for Federal loans
- If your application is selected for verification
- To accept and finalize your offer
Loan Disbursements
- Stafford loan disbursement is usually made in two installments. For loan periods over the entire academic year, half of the loan will be disbursed on or after the first day of the fall semester, and the remaining half will be disbursed on or after the first day of the spring semester.
- Borrowers have 14 days from the date of disbursement or the first day of the term, whichever is later, to decline all or part of the loan amount. The Financial Aid Office will return funds on behalf of the student if this notification is received within the time period; students have the option of repaying loan funds themselves after that period.
Just before you graduate
You will be required to take exit loan counseling.
After you Borrow
- Need help resolving loan disputes or problems? The OSFA Ombudsman helps borrowers having problems.
- To find out who services your student loans, and how to contact them, look at the National Student Loan Clearinghouse.
- To access your federal history, consult the National Student Loan Data System.
- Have you borrowed a Direct Loan in the past? You can look up your account status on this Department of Education site. For general questions about your loan, call 888-877-7658.
- Have you borrowed more than one loan? Loan consolidation may have some advantages for you. Please contact your lender, review the information available from various sources on our Tools and Calculators page, or check out the Federal government's Direct Loan Consolidation program. The only Stafford loan consolidation option available is through Direct.
- Are you, or will you be, a federal employee? The Federal Employee Student Loan Assistance Act permits federal agencies to repay Federally insured student loans as a recruitment or retention incentive for candidates or current employees of the agency. For more information, see the Office of Personnel Management site of the Federal Government's Human Resources Agency.
- Education majors are eligible to receive Loan forgiveness for math, and special education teachers.
- Are you working full time in a public service job? Loan Foriveness for Public Service Employees may be right for you. Please review the Fact Sheet and Questions and Answers to see if you qualify.