River Parishes Community College is participating in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program beginning in the Fall of 2008. Students borrow directly from the federal government. No separate application from a bank or other lender is needed to receive Direct Stafford Loans. Please disregard any separate mailings you receive to apply for Stafford Loans.
When you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the Renewal Free Application for Federal Student Aid, you are applying for all of the aid programs for which you may be eligible, including direct loans.
If a William D. Ford Federal Direct Stafford Loan (subsidized or unsubsidized) has been offered to you as part of your aid package it will appear on your Financial Aid Award Letter. You can accept or decline these loans just as you would any other aid program assistance offered to you.
Once you are awarded a Federal Direct Student Loan, you must fulfill certain conditions before loan funds can be credited to your account.
These include:
- Completion of a Loan Entrance Interview
An Entrance Interview is actually a counseling session which is designed to help you better understand your obligation as a borrower and provides other useful information on the loan process. Entrance Interviews are required for all of first time, first-year borrowers.
Loan borrowers must complete an Entrance Interview at https://www.dl.ed.gov/borrower/CounselingSessions.do?cmd=initializeContext.
- Signing the Master Promissory Note
All Direct Stafford Loan borrowers must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) at http://dlenote.ed.gov using your federal Personal Identification Number (PIN). The same PIN used to complete your online FAFSA is used to sign your MPN.
To obtain a PIN, visit www.pin.ed.gov.
