Students and parents may want to consider borrowing federal loans as an option for financing educational expenses. The U.S. Department of Education is the lender for these loans. Federal regulations require colleges to confirm a student's eligibility for federal aid. To comply with these regulations, all students at Colorado College must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.studentaid.gov before the Federal Direct Stafford Loan or the Federal Direct PLUS Loan for Parents will be processed. If the student or the parent does not have a FSA ID to file the FAFSA, they may request a FSA ID at the FSA ID Website which will be used in the application process.

Federal Direct Stafford Loans

The Federal Direct Stafford Loan Application Process for First-time Borrowers:

When a student accepts the Federal Direct Stafford Loan on their award OR if they submit a separate application to apply for the Federal Direct Stafford Loan for the first time, they will need to complete the following TWO steps to meet federal requirements before Colorado College will originate the loan with the Department of Education.

1. Step 1: Entrance Counseling for the Federal Direct Stafford Loan:
   • In compliance with federal requirements, students who are borrowing for the first time at Colorado College must complete an online entrance counseling session before funds could be credited to their account. This session helps students understand their rights and responsibilities when borrowing this loan.
   • Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling Session
2. Step 2: Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the Federal Direct Stafford Loan:
   • The MPN is the legal agreement that the student will repay the loan in the future. The student will be required to complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and will only be required to complete the MPN once while attending Colorado College.
   • Master Promissory Note (MPN)

Before applying for a Stafford Loan, the student and parent should review Federal Loan Interest Rates and Loan Limits.

Federal Direct PLUS Loans for Parents

If it has not already been filed, the parent and student can request a FSA ID at the official FSA ID Website and complete the FAFSA. To receive a Federal Direct PLUS Loan for Parents, a parent must be a biological or adoptive parent of the student enrolled at CC. The loan is based on the credit worthiness of the parent. The maximum a parent can borrow is the cost of education at Colorado College minus all financial aid the student receives. The interest on this loan begins to accrue when it is disbursed to the student's account and continues to accrue until the loan is paid in full.

Before applying for a PLUS Loan the parent and student should review Federal Loan Interest Rates and Loan Limits.

Since the Stafford interest rates are lower than the PLUS Loan, the student may want to consider borrowing the maximum Stafford Loan eligibility before the parent requests a PLUS Loan. If the parent's credit is denied for the loan, the student will be eligible to borrow additional Unsubsidized Stafford Loan funds.

The Federal Direct PLUS Loan Application Process:

After the parent and student have filed the FAFSA, Colorado College will originate the Federal Direct PLUS Loan with the U.S Department of Education when the following TWO requirements have been completed.

1. Application for the Federal Direct PLUS Loan
   To borrow a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, first, the PLUS Loan application must be completed. The parent will be asked to provide information including the loan amount requested.
   Apply for PLUS Loan
2. Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the Federal Direct PLUS Loan
   The MPN is a promissory note that can be used to borrow up to10 years while their student is enrolled at Colorado College. The MPN can be completed using the parent's PIN that was used when filing the FAFSA.
   Master Promissory Note (MPN) For Plus Loan

The borrower of a PLUS Loan may request a deferment to delay repayment of their loan until six months after their student ceases at least half-time enrollment at Colorado College. For more information about the deferred repayment option for Federal Direct PLUS Loan, the parent should visit https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment.