Direct Loan Entrance Counseling
The U.S. Department of Education requires all new Federal Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS Loan borrowers to complete loan entrance counseling. The online tool will walk you through the basics of the loan and your responsibilities for borrowing under the Federal Direct Loan program.
If you are going to be a new student loan borrower at UC within the next six months or you are borrowing the Graduate PLUS Loan for the first time, please complete the appropriate loan counseling now on the U.S. Department of Education website.
Failure to complete this requirement by the time your classes begin will result in your loan funds being delayed.
Loan counseling takes 20-30 minutes to complete, and UC will receive record of your successful completion within 2 business days.
NOTE: Financial Awareness Counseling on the same Website, while a helpful tool with valuable information, is NOT the same as required Loan Entrance Counseling. Be sure to select the appropriate counseling session.
While this requirement is only for new UC student or Grad PLUS loan borrowers, students who have borrowed previously are free to complete loan counseling as a refresher in understanding loan borrowing. Students can also review or print a Department of Education publication as way to maintain information from Loan Entrance Counseling.
Upon leaving UC, student loan borrowers will also need to complete loan exit counseling.