Taking a loan to help pay for your education can be scary and a big decision for most students. You need to weigh all your options on how to pursue your educational goals and borrowing a student loan might be the only option to get you there. Here are some resources to help you make the decision on accepting a loan and repaying it in the future.
- All first time borrowers need to complete Entrance Loan Counseling and a Master Promissory Note at studentaid.gov This website is a great resource for when you are in school and when you begin repayment on your loan.
- Studentaid.gov is the main government website that has a lot of information about all the federal aid available and how the process works.
- The National Student Loan Database is where the government keeps a list of all the federal loans and grants you have taken out. The website is www.nslds.ed.gov. This is a great website to review your total amount of loans, find out who is the servicer of your loan and interest rate information.
If you do decide to take a loan here are some tips to remember.
- You are borrowing money that needs to be repaid with interest.
- Create a budget and determine if you need the whole amount offered to you.
- When you move or change your phone number update your contact information with your servicer, which can be found at www.nslds.ed.gov. Also, update this information with the school.
- Any questions about your loan repayment or if you are struggling with making a payment contact the servicer. They will let you know your options and can help you through the process.
- Do not ignore emails or mail from your servicer. Read them and contact them if you have any questions.
- Communicate with the servicer if you have decided to take time off from school, switch to another school or reduce your course load to less than half time status. They need this information to help you through the grace period and to successfully start repayment. Do not assume they already know this information.
- When in doubt contact the school and we can point you in the right direction.