Federal Direct PLUS Loan for Undergraduate Parent Borrowers

The Federal Direct PLUS Loan is a part of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Direct PLUS Loans are available to the parent (biological, adoptive, or in some cases, stepparent) of a dependent undergraduate student enrolled at least half-time at a participating school. Direct PLUS Loans are designed to cover any portion of the student’s estimated cost of attendance not already being covered by other types of financial aid.

To be eligible for a PLUS Loan, you must have a valid FAFSA on file, the parent must agree to and pass a credit check, and both the student and the parent borrower must meet the following general criteria: 1) must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an eligible non-citizen, 2) must provide his or her valid social security number, and 3) must not be in default on any federal education loan or owe an overpayment on a federal grant or loan program. For full details review the Department of Educations PLUS Loans page.

How to Apply

Apply for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan.

If you have not yet filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you must do so before your Federal PLUS Loan may be originated. You can file your FAFSA online.

You can apply for a Parent PLUS loan at StudentAid.gov

• Log on using your parent FSA ID.
• Choose the link, “Apply for a Direct PLUS Loan” to complete the Parent PLUS Loan Application.
• Choose the link, “Complete Loan Agreement” to sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the Parent PLUS Loan.

Fees and Disbursement

Due to sequestration, all Direct PLUS Loans with a first disbursement date on or after October 1, 2020 and before October 1, 2025 have an origination fee of 4.228%

Be aware of this fee when determining the amount that will be received and applied to the student account. Use the net disbursement amount (principal minus origination fee) when completing the financial worksheet to estimate college costs.

PLUS Loan funds are disbursed to the student’s account at the beginning of each semester. The loan amount will be divided evenly between each semester of enrollment during the academic year. We will notify you when PLUS funds have been disbursed.

Returning loan funds to your lender

We will return loan funds if your written request is received within 14 days after the disbursement notification has been sent to you.

After this time, you can return Direct Loan funds by check to your servicer. For information about your servicer, please visit NSLDS.

To ensure that the payment is properly credited, you will need to include a cover letter stating whether the funds are for a loan payment or for canceling (inactivating) a loan. This note should indicate which loan(s) the returned funds should be applied to, and in what amounts (if repayment is split between loans).

A borrower has up to 120 days after the disbursement date to return Direct Loan funds without being responsible for paying fees and any accrued interest on the amount canceled.

Deferment of Payment and Forbearance

Payment of a PLUS Loan may be deferred if the student and/or the parent borrower is enrolled in school on at least a half-time basis. Payment may also be deferred if the borrower is unemployed or in a situation of demonstrable economic hardship, or during some periods of active duty military service. During a deferment, interest continues to accrue on the loan and may be capitalized (added to the principal of the loan).

In situations not covered by deferment, a borrower may ask for a forbearance. By granting forbearance, the lender permits a temporary cessation of payments, allows an extension of time for making payments, or temporarily accepts smaller payments than were previously scheduled.

Full details about deferment and forbearance can be found on the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website.

Interest and Repayment

Direct PLUS Loans with a first disbursement date of July 1, 2024 but before June 30, 2025 have a fixed interest rate of 9.08%.

Federal Direct PLUS Loans with a first disbursement date of July 1, 2023 but before June 30, 2024 have a fixed interest rate of 8.05%.

A PLUS Loan borrower enters repayment at the time the loan is fully disbursed. The lender must notify the borrower of the terms and conditions for repayment of the loan before repayment is scheduled to begin. The minimum monthly payment is $50.00. A borrower is allowed at least 5 years (unless the minimum required payment will retire the debt in less time), to repay a PLUS loan. A borrower may prepay his or her loan in full or in part at any time, without penalty and without liability for unearned interest.

Alternative repayment schedules and deferment or forbearance options are available on all federal student loans, including the PLUS Loan. Extended repayment plans (up to 25 years) are available for borrowers with federal education debt exceeding $30,000.

The following table is based on a standard 10 year repayment plan. Use this table to estimate the monthly payment amount for your Federal Direct PLUS Loan(s).

TOTAL AMOUNT BORROWED	INTEREST RATE
	7.00%	7.50%	8.00%	8.25%	8.50%
$5,000.00	$58.05	$59.35	$60.66	$61.33	$61.99
10,000.00	116.11	118.70	121.33	122.65	123.99
15,000.00	174.16	178.05	181.99	183.98	185.98
20,000.00	232.22	237.40	242.66	245.31	247.97
25,000.00	290.27	296.75	303.32	306.63	309.96
30,000.00	348.33	356.11	363.98	367.96	371.96
35,000.00	406.38	415.46	424.65	429.28	433.95
40,000.00	464.43	474.81	485.31	490.61	495.94
45,000.00	522.49	534.16	545.97	551.94	557.94