• Current Students
  • College Catalog Financial Aid Information
  • Webadvisor Login
  • Renewal of Financial Aid for 2013-2014
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Return of Title IV Funds Policy
  • Important Financial Aid Dates
• New Students
  • Scholarship Calculator
  • Common Questions by New Students
  • College Catalog Financial Aid Information
  • Net Price Calculator
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Freshman Application Timeline
  • Important Financial Aid Dates

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans are available to eligible students.   Additional information can be found in the Linfield Catalog or at www.studentloans.gov.

Process for new students:

1. Complete your FAFSA: www.fafsa.gov
2. Complete your Certification and Award Acceptance Letter sent to you via regular mail
3. Complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN): www.studentloans.gov
4. Complete your Entrance Counseling: www.studentloans.gov
5. View your federal loan history: www.nslds.ed.gov

Process for continuing students:

1. Complete your FAFSA: www.fafsa.gov
2. Complete your Linfield Application for Financial Aid (LAFA) on WebAdvisor
3. Complete your Certification and Award Acceptance Letter on WebAdvisor
4. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
5. View your federal loan history: www.nslds.ed.gov

Interest Rates

For additional information about interest rates before 7/1/08 access www.studentloans.gov or www.nslds.ed.gov to determine interest rates for the time frame the student received their loan disbursements. 

 Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan

The federal government subsidizes the interest on Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans on behalf of students while they are enrolled at least half time in an eligible program at an eligible school and through their 6-month grace period.  A law passed in December 2011 eliminates the interest subsidy during the 6-month grace period on any loans that had a first disbursement made on or after July 1, 2012, and before July 1, 2014.

 Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan

Students are responsible to pay the interest on Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans while they are in school.  Interest begins to accrue immediately upon disbursement of the student loan.  Students may choose not to pay their interest payments while they are in school, and the interest will be added to the unpaid principal amount of the student’s loan.  This is called “capitalization,” and it can substantially increase the total amount repaid.  Capitalization increases the unpaid principal balance of the loan, and students will be charged interest on the increased principal amount.  Paying the interest while in school will save students some money in the long run.

 Fees

Federal Direct Stafford Loans are subject to loan fees.  Loan fees are set by the federal government and the amounts vary depending on when the loan was disbursed.

There is a 1% Loan Fee* applied to each Stafford loan taken off at the time of disbursement. 

*Beginning March 1, 2013 for any loans first disbursed on or after March 1, 2013 the Loan Fee is 1.051%.

Annual Loan Maximums

Stafford Loans have annual loan limits, based on the student’s dependency status and grade level.  Proration applies to all undergraduate loans.  These loan limits below represent the total of all Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans a dependent undergraduate student may borrow at each level of study, for a single academic year.

Dependent Undergraduates:

Independent Undergraduates (and dependent students whose parents can’t get Direct Parent PLUS Loan):

Aggregate Loan Maximums

These loan limits below represent the total of all Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans a dependent undergraduate student may borrow aggregately for their undergraduate studies:

Repayment Information Regarding Stafford Loans

After the student graduates, leaves school or drops below half-time enrollment, the student will have a six-month grace period before having to begin repayment.  Students are required to complete Exit Counseling at www.studentloans.gov upon leaving Linfield. 

Students will be contacted by their servicer during their grace period regarding their repayment.  Students will be automatically placed in the Standard Repayment Plan, unless they choose to request a different plan. With the Standard Repayment Plan, students will pay a fixed amount each month until their loans are paid in full. The student’s monthly payments will be at least $50, and they will have up to 10 years to repay their loans.  It is important to repay student loans, failure to repay them results in default and has serious consequences.  Students should track their loan history, and can do so by accessing the National Student Loan Data Systemto retrieve their loan information. This website will allow students to see ALL of their federal aid that they have received from all schools they have attended. Students will need their federal PIN to access this site, www.pin.ed.gov.

The student’s monthly payment under the Standard Repayment Plan may be higher than it would be under the other plans because their loans will be repaid in the shortest time. For that reason, having a 10-year limit on repayment, students may pay the least interest.

To calculate estimated loan payments, go to the Standard Repayment Plan calculator.

Using the calculator above, with an interest rate of 6.8% and total Stafford debt of $21,629 an example repayment schedule would be:

Calculator results:

To learn more about repayment plan options, such as Standard, Extended, Graduated, Income-Contingent or Income-Sensitive, Income-Based and Consolidation visit www.studentloans.gov.

Effective July 1, 2009, most Federal Direct Loan Program Borrowers who are in repayment or who will be entering repayment and have a partial financial hardship are eligible for Income-Based Repayment (IBR).

How can you, the borrower, select IBR?
Borrowers who choose to repay under IBR must apply to their lender(s) annually by first providing written consent for the lender to obtain the borrower's adjusted gross information directly from the Internal Revenue Service, or alternative proof of AGI is so requested by the lender. Secondly, certifying the borrower's family size.

For more information about IBR and to make sure this is the best decision for the student view look at the two links below that will help student’s become extremely knowledgeable about IBR and.

This link will provide you with all the necessary information to get you started. http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/IBRPlan.jsp

This video will provide you with the basic information to visually get you started.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpJhC-2i6gI

Terms and Conditions

Student’s terms and conditions of the loan are located with the Master Promissory Note, which students are encouraged to sign online at www.studentloans.gov.  View a sample of the Master Promissory Note (MPN), which includes borrower rights and responsibilities as well as the terms and conditions:  http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/attachments/DirectSubUnsubMPNEDExp031109AdjPrint.pdf 

Default

Default (failing to repay your loan) is defined in detail in the Terms and Conditions section of the MPN.  Serious consequences occur if a student defaults:

• The United States Department of Education (ED) will require you to immediately repay the entire unpaid amount of your loan
• ED may sue you, take all or part of your federal and state tax refunds and other federal or state payments, and/or garnish your wages so that your employer is required to send ED part of your salary to pay off your loan
• ED will require you to pay reasonable collection fees and costs, plus court costs and attorney fees
• ED will report your default to national consumer reporting agencies
• You may be denied a professional license
• You will lose eligibility for other federal student aid and assistance under most federal benefit programs
• You will lose eligibility for loan deferments