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Direct Loan Basics for Graduate Students
Federal Direct Loan Program
Graduate students at Plymouth State University may be eligible for Title IV subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Direct loan funds. The annual eligibility for a graduate student is based on the cost of attendance for that year. The cost of attendance is based on the number of credits/courses taken. The maximum annual Federal Direct subsidized and unsubsidized loan amount available for a graduate student is $20,500 (effective July 1, 2007). No more than $8,500 of this amount may be in subsidized Federal loans. Limits may apply based on program.
A subsidized Federal Direct loan is awarded on the basis of financial need (total cost minus estimated family contribution minus other financial aid). No interest is charged while you are in school at least half-time, during your grace period and during deferment periods
An unsubsidized Federal Direct loan is not awarded on the basis of need. You’ll be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it’s paid in full. If you allow the interest to accrue (accumulate) while you’re in school, or during other periods of nonpayment, it will be capitalized. This means the interest will be added to the principal amount of your loan, and additional interest will be based on that higher amount.
DISBURSEMENTS: Graduate loan proceeds are disbursed by the Bursar's Office at the beginning of each enrollment period AFTER confirmation of course registration and number of credits.
More information on registration, cost per credit, refunds and billing may be found at the College of Graduate Studies webpage.
Graduate aggregate maximum Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct: $138,500 - No more than $65,500 can be in subsidized loans. The graduate debt limit includes federal student loans received for undergraduate study. No more than $65,500 can be in subsidized loans.
Students should complete the FAFSA prior to acceptance into the College as processing may require follow-up with the Financial Aid Team.
ACCESS TO GRADUATE LOAN PROGRAMS BEGINS THE ENROLLMENT PERIOD AFTER A STUDENT'S ACCEPTANCE INTO THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES. The below Steps provides guidance for processes required to access financial aid programs. Be sure to contact our Financial Aid Team should you have questions.
STEPS LISTED BELOW ARE THOSE WHICH YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLETE AND UNDERSTAND TO SUCCESSFULLY ACCESS FEDERAL DIRECT STUDENT LOANS. Details are listed below these Steps:
1. PIN
2. FAFSA
3. Paperless Process
4. Verification Process
5. Graduate Student Enrollment Status Form & Cost of Attendance (COA)
6. Notification of Direct Loan eligibility
7. MPN and Entrance Requirements
8. Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
9. Notification of outside aid resources
10. Reviews
11. Additional Resources
Step 1
Apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the Department of Education.
The PIN will then be used as an electronic signature on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please retain your PIN in a secure place as this same number will be used throughout the remainder of your education for purposes of electronic signatures.
Step 2
Beginning January 1, complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). PSU's school code is 002591.
Read all instructions carefully and be sure your social security number, name (full names only)and birth date are correct. Print and save copies for your records. PSU draws in FAFSA data once a week. We recommend that you file your FAFSA on the Web.
NOTE: The FAFSA can be completed using estimated tax information, and updated with actual financial information once tax forms are completed. After your FAFSA has been submitted, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that will provide you with a copy of your FAFSA data. The FAFSA identifies an expected family contribution (EFC) based on Federal Methodology as established annually by the federal government.
Step 3
Paperless Process. Once PSU receives your FAFSA, if follow-up information is required, emails are sent to your PSU email account informing you of needed documentation. Specific information need is posted as Unsatisfied Requirement(s) on your myPlymouth account. Aid eligibility (your award) is also identified though this process once students are officially accepted into the College of Graduate Studies.
The aid year begins with the summer term and the award notification process will begin in May. Once all requested requirements have been satisfied, your application will be considered complete. Complete applications are reviewed and, if complete, awarded once a week.
Step 4
The federal government or PSU may select your FAFSA for a process called Verification.
If selected, the PSU Financial Aid Team will post required documentation to your online myPlymouth account. Unless requested, do not forward any tax information to our office. Financial aid awards can only be determined after the verification process is complete, so be sure to return information requested as soon as possible. Requests for follow-up documentation can only be viewed through Banner Self Service. In order to be eligible for Federal Financial Aid, you must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP for graduate students is defined as having successfully COMPLETED 75 percent of all graduate credits attempted.
Step 5
All graduate students are required to complete a Graduate Student Enrollment Status Form (PDF) annually stating the number of credit hours you plan to enroll during EACH enrollment period. If your enrollment or program changes from what you originally indicated on the Graduate Student Enrollment Status Form any time during the year, you must provide written documentation of these changes to the Financial Aid Team so your Federal Direct Loan eligibility can be reviewed and adjusted if necessary. Failure to update this information may cause delays in delivery of loan funds.
Cost of Attendance (COA) - Your Federal Direct Loan eligibility is based on an average Cost of Attendance (COA), using an average of 4.6 credits per enrollment period. Please see the table below for an estimate of costs per term: The Cost of Attendance includes billed (Tuition and Fees - College of Graduate Studies) and unbilled (books and personal living expenses) costs. Your unbilled costs were determined by using the College Board's 2009-10 living expense costs based on data from the most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) and the Indexes of Comparative Costs, both produced by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Enrollment for Academic Year 2009-10 |
Non-Commuter (1) | Commuter (2) |
| 1 Term | $8,000 | $5,120 |
| 2 Terms | $15,990 | $10,250 |
| 3 Terms | $23,990 | $15,370 |
| 4 Terms | $31,980 | $20,500 |
(1) A non-commuter does not live with parents, is not married or if married, is the major wage earner in the family.
(2) A commuter lives with parents or is married and is not the major wage earner in the household.
NOTE: Should the Cost of Attendance change, your Federal Direct Loan eligibility may increase or decrease accordingly. Information on actual per credit hour tuition charges are available through the College of Graduate Studies
Step 6
Financial aid awards are completed on a rolling basis beginning in June of each year. Financial Aid award information is accessible via Banner Self Service only.
All financial aid awards will be considered accepted unless the student otherwise notifies the PSU Financial Aid Team of his or her wish to decline the entire award, or a portion of the award.
Step 7
PSU Federal Direct loan borrowers must complete:
A. Entrance Loan Counseling session as required by the Department of Education.
B. Master Promissory Note (MPN)
Once your term charges are billed by the Bursar, loan proceeds will be credited to your account with any available refunds disbursed by the Bursar.
Step 8
Once Federal Aid is determined, if you still need additional funding and you are not at your Cost of Attendance, you may wish to apply for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. The terms and conditions applicable to Graduate PLUS loans are:
- applicants must not have an adverse credit history,
- repayment begins on the date of the last disbursement of the loan, however, this repayment is automatically deferred if you are enrolled at least half-time
- Borrower is enrolled in an eligible College of Graduate Studies program
- Interest rate is 7.9% fixed
- There is a loan fee of 4% of the principal amount charged for each Direct PLUS Loan that you borrow. This fee helps reduce the cost of making these low-interest loans. The total fee is reduced to 2.5% due to an up front interest rebate equal to 1.5% of the loan amount. The fee will be applied before you receive any loan money. To retain this up front rebate, when a graduate student starts repayment of their loan, they must make their first 12 consecutive payments on time.
- Enrollment status must be as least half–time (3 credit hours)
- Can be Consolidated with other federal loans after graduation
In addition, applicants are required to complete the FAFSA and must have applied for the maximum annual Federal Direct Loan eligibility before applying for a Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan. Students are eligible for "in-school" deferment. This means, repayment of your loan will not begin until after graduation or withdrawal from PSU.
After receiving notification of your Federal Direct Loan
eligibility, if you are interested in apply for the Federal Direct
PLUS, you will need to complete the following three steps:
Step 1: Complete Graduate PLUS Loan Request Form: Be sure all boxes are completed on this form before submitting it.
Step 2: A Master Promissory Note (MPN) must be signed. This can be done online and e-Signed with your federal PIN. The federal PIN is the same you used when you signed your online FAFSA. If you do not already have a PIN, you can go to www.pin.ed.gov. You should receive the requested information within two days via e-mail
Step 3: Complete an online Entrance Counseling quiz. This is a requirement for this Graduate PLUS Loan.
Step 9
Students are required by federal guidelines to notify the PSU Financial Aid Team of all scholarships and tuition assistance received. Additional resources may or may not affect your current financial aid award.
Step 10
Reviews: The Financial Aid Team reserves the right to review and possibly revise awards based upon conflicting or inaccurate information such as number of credits taken, change in program, or aid received from other sources.
The Financial Aid Team will also consider appeals based on changes in personal financial situations which may include illness, loss of job, reemployment, or change in marital status.
Step 11
Please visit the College of Graduate Studies Web site for additional information on available scholarships, graduate assistantships, teaching fellowships and research assistantships available to students.
For information about other scholarships that may be available please see Outside Scholarships. TIP: Be sure the scholarship criteria indicates that Graduate Students are eligible to apply.
The Federal Student Aid Ombudsman of the Department of Education helps resolve disputes and solve other problems with federal student loans.
PSU in accordance with Federal and State laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age veteran's status, sexual preference or handicap in admission or access to, treatment of or employment in its programs or activities. Inquiries regarding this policy should be made to the Vice President for Student Affairs, PSU, Plymouth NH 03264 or Office for Civil Rights, Washington DC 20201.
*Non-degree certificate programs: Students seeking loan funding may apply for Continuing Ed student loans.