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Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans

Federal Direct Loans may be available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.


Who Is the Borrower?

For Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, the student is the borrower of the loan. This means the student is responsible for:

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How to Apply

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for consideration for subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

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Enrollment Requirements

You must be enrolled at least half-time for the semester in federal and state aid-eligible courses for loans to disburse as payment.

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Additional Requirements

Loan funds cannot disburse as payment to your student account until all requirements have been completed. If you are offered a Federal Direct Loan as part of your financial aid offer, before it can disburse you must:

  1. Accept the loan
  2. First-time borrowers must complete Entrance Counseling and their Loan Agreement/Master Promissory Note (MPN)
  3. Be enrolled at least half-time for the semester in federal and state aid-eligible courses.
  4. Continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility

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Quick Facts

  • Interest rates on Federal Direct Loans are fixed, meaning the interest rate on the amount borrowed for an academic year will remain the same for the life of the loan.
  • An origination fee is retained by the federal government for federal loans. It is a percentage of the amount of the loan, and it is deducted before the loan disburses to the institution. This means the loan amount accepted and borrowed will be different from the amount that disburses. You can refer to our Origination Fee webpage for additional information and a tool that will help you calculate the amount that will disburse as payment toward your institutional charges.
  • Graduate/Professional level students are not eligible for subsidized loans.
  • A borrower has 120 days to return any portion of a federal loan to the institution without being assessed any interest or fees on the amount returned.

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Frequently Asked Questions

See our Subsidized and Unsubsidized FAQs webpage for more answers, such as the difference between a subsidized and unsubsidized loans, how much can be borrowed each year, interest rates, additional loan fees, and who to contact for your loan information.

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