Federal Direct Loan Entrance Counseling
Entrance Counseling provides important information regarding borrowers’ rights and responsibilities assumed when borrowing. You must complete Entrance Counseling before any Direct Loan funds can be disbursed if you are a:
- First time borrower of federal direct loans
- Graduate student borrowing a Graduate PLUS Loan
- Transfer student, in some instances
By selecting the link Entrance Counseling you will be directed to the federal student loan website. Log in using your FSA ID and use the “Loans and Grants” dropdown menu to select “ Loan Entrance Counseling”, then select either undergraduate student or graduate/professional student.
Federal Direct Loan Exit Counseling
Exit counseling provides an opportunity for the borrower to review their rights and responsibilities and provide their Loan Servicer(s) with current contact information. This helps borrowers make wise decisions with regard to repayment of their loans. Exit counseling is required by the federal government for borrowers of federal student loans when a borrower:
- Graduates
- Withdraws, even if you plan to transfer
- Drops below half-time status (6 credits as an undergraduate or 4 credits as a graduate)
You can see your borrowing history by logging into the U.S. Department of Education’s website, which is the central database for federal student aid.
Follow this link to log in and complete your Direct Loan Exit Counseling. Exit counseling discussed here covers Subsidized Loans, Unsubsidized Loans, and PLUS Loans (for graduate/professional students) for both the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program.
Federal Perkins Loan Exit Counseling
Exit counseling is required for students that drop below half-time (below six credits for undergraduates or four credits for graduates), withdraw, or graduate. The online exit counseling session will provide pertinent repayment information and also provide the opportunity for borrowers to update their contact information. The request and instructions to complete exit counseling will be mailed from the Office of Student Accounts in Mellencamp Hall, Room 110.
PLUS Credit Counseling
A borrower is required to complete PLUS Counseling if an endorser is needed or an appeal has been granted by the U.S. Department of Education. PLUS Loan counseling is separate from Graduate PLUS Loan counseling that all first-time graduate and professional student PLUS borrowers must complete. Find PLUS Counseling here, then:
- Log in using the borrower FSA ID
- Scroll to “Loans and Grants”
- Choose “PLUS Credit Counseling”
Select either parent of an eligible dependent undergraduate student or graduate/professional student.