Financial Aid

Direct Loan Promissory Note

You have been directed here because you have accepted an offer of a Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loan. In order to meet the requirements for the loan, you must complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN).

UC will be notified of your MPN completion within 2 days of completing it. Once we have been notified, your record will be updated, you will no longer receive the link on your award offer, and your loan will be ready for disbursement (assuming loan entrance counseling is also complete) based on the terms of your loan.


Completing the Master Promissory Note

Because your Federal Direct Loan is held by the federal government, you will need to go to the U.S. Department of Education website to complete the promissory note.

The master promissory note is your promise to use the funding as intended toward the allowable costs of your education as well as your promise to pay back the loan.

If you have not done so already, you should also complete Loan Entrance Counseling at that same website. Loan Entrance Counseling is also required when you are new to these federal student loans.


Loan Resources

There are many additional loan resources that are available to you in understanding your loan, its terms and conditions, and payback responsibilities. It is important, as a loan borrower, to read the information on the Student Financial Aid website.

Additionally, the studentaid.gov website is a main portal to information specific to your federal loan. Take the time to read information now and as a refresher throughout college career.

Federal loans all use Master Promissory Notes (MPNs). These open-ended loan documents allow multiple year borrowing for that individual loan program.

If a Master Promissory Note has a disbursed loan attached to it within a year of signing by the borrower, it is then active for 10 years of borrowing thereby making the aid process much easier in subsequent years.

However, while the promissory note allows for multiple years, the FAFSA must be completed each year as soon after October 1 as possible.