Student Loan Debt Relief
The Supreme Court issued a decision blocking President Biden’s one time student debt relief plan. However, you may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), another opportunity to assist you with student loan payments. Learn about PSLF here.
To learn more about the actions President Biden announced following the Supreme Court’s ruling, or for more information pertaining to student debt relief, visit Studentaid.gov/debt-relief.
To be notified by the U.S. Department of Education with updates regarding student debt relief, please sign up at Ed.gov/subscriptions and check the box marked “Federal Student Loan Borrower Updates”.
*Please note that we process loan requests in the order they are received. In order to get to all student requests in a timely fashion, any subsequent requests beyond the 3rd will be processed only after all other loan requests have been certified. Please plan accordingly, and do not hesitate to call or stop in if you would like some help with this or to discuss your loan borrowing commitments.
The U.S. Department of Education (DoED) is the lender for all Federal Direct Loans.
• You must have an award notification from CLC in your E-Services.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) each term to be eligible for loans. If you drop below half-time during the term, loan eligibility may be lost.
• Loan eligibility for Federal Direct loans is determined by a number of contributing factors. The following information details the maximum eligibility per academic year as allowed by the federal government.
~Grade level one is a first year undergraduate student (earned credits 0 to 29) in current program/degree.
Dependent student – Maximum eligibility $5,500 (with subsidized loan maximum of $3,500)
Independent student – Maximum eligibility $9,500 (with subsidized loan maximum of $3,500)
~ Grade level two is a second year undergraduate student (earned credits 30 or more) currently accepted in a
two year program/degree.
Dependent student – Maximum eligibility $6,500 (with subsidized loan maximum of $4,500)
Independent student – Maximum eligibility of $10,500 (with subsidized loan maximum of $4,500)
~ Dependent students may have additional unsubsidized loan eligibility of up to $4,000 if their parent is denied a Federal Direct PLUS loan.
- Multi term loans will be disbursed in two disbursements, on or after the scheduled disbursement day of each term. Your loan disclosure statement at studentaid.gov will display the disbursement dates of your loans. Scroll down to “My Info” and select “View Your Documents”. Then scroll down to “My Correspondence” and select which document you would like to review.
- Proration of a loan may be required if the number of credits needed to complete your degree, diploma or certificate is less than an academic year. Proration reduces the amount of loan eligibility you will have.
CLC has an agreement to submit all loan information to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). NSLDS then tracks a student’s college enrollment history. This is important because repayment of a Federal Direct loan begins six months after a student is no longer enrolled in college or drops to a less than half time enrollment status.
Federal Direct Loans
- There are two categories, subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized means that the federal government will pay the interest on your loans while you are in school. Unsubsidized means you are responsible for the interest while in school.
•Applying for your loan(s) begins with you logging into E-Services with your Star ID and password, clicking on “Financial Aid” and then clicking on “Loans”. There you will be able to apply for loan funds, check on the pre-requirements of Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN) completion, as well as check on the status of your loan and loan amounts. An MPN is good for 10 years.
• All of the necessary parts of the loan process will be available using E-Services.
OTHER LOAN OPTIONS
Federal Direct PLUS (Parent Loan for Dependent Undergraduate Student)
The parent of a dependent student can apply for a Federal Direct PLUS loan. PLUS has a fixed interest rate. A parent may borrow up to the full cost of the student’s education less any other financial aid the student receives. Repayment begins 60 days after the full amount of loan funds are disbursed and in most cases is expected to be repaid in 10 years. The DoED will answer repayment questions. A student, whose parent has been denied a PLUS, may have additional unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan eligibility made available via their E-Services.
The parent’s PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN) approval or denial notification is electronically sent to the CLC Financial Aid Office. At E-Services under “Bills and Payments” your child will be able to see when the PLUS loan funds have applied to his or her account.
• For a credit check only, complete step 1 (below).
• Apply for the PLUS loan by completing both steps 1 and 2.
Step 1 Contact the CLC Financial Aid Office at 1-800-933-0346 or 218-855-8000 to request a Federal Direct PLUS Loan Request or Credit Check Only Confirmation form. The form can be emailed or sent by US postal service. Complete the form and return to the CLC Financial Aid Office.
Step 2 A Federal Direct PLUS Loan MPN is also required if a parent actually wants to apply for PLUS loan funds. You, the parent, will need to log in using a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID). You may have already used this to sign your child’s FAFSA. If you don’t have one, go to studentaid.gov to create one.
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Alternative or Private Loans
In addition to federal student loan programs, many banks or credit unions provide educational loan options for students and/or parents. These options are commonly referred to as private or alternative loans and are for educational expenses. We recommend you use the federal student loan programs first and then alternative or private loan programs only as a last resort. Central Lakes College does not endorse any one particular lender. We do provide the service of FASTChoice to assist with education and comparison of lender loan options such as interest rates, fees, repayment terms and application instructions. You will be provided a historical list of lenders from which CLC students have borrowed in the past three years. Please note that should you decide to borrow under the private loan program, you may select any lender of your choosing and are not required to select from the historical list.
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Loan Counseling
Use these links if you have been instructed by a member of the CLC Financial Aid Office or a letter you may have received.
Stafford and Direct Loans
STUDENT LOAN CONTACT INFORMATION
This information will assist students with phone numbers and web addresses in connection to their lenders, guarantee agencies or the
Department of Education:
studentaid.gov To view any financial aid you may have received including student loans.
https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers Scroll to the middle of the page to see a list of Loan Servicers and their contact information
To see your assigned loan servicer, visit your account dashboard at www.studentaid.gov and scroll down to the “My Loan Servicers” section
Student Loan Guarantors
FirstMark Services (SELF Loan)
888-538-7378
http://www.firstmarkservices.com
FSA Student Loan Ombudsman Group
When you have exhausted all other avenues of resolution with regards to disputes or issues with your Federal student loans, the Ombudsman Group may be able to help. You can find information on the internet at: https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/how-to-contact-ombudsman-group
Postal Mail:
U.S. Department of Education
FSA Ombudsman Group
830 First Street, N.E., Mail Stop 5144
Washington, DC 20202-5144
Phone: 1-877-557-2575
Fax: 202-275-0549