Office of Financial Aid Services
Queens College - CUNY
Jefferson Hall - Room 202
Telephone: 718-997-5100 Fax: 718-997-5122  Web: http://www.qc.edu/fao
FAFSA Code: 002690 TAP Code: 1416    Contact Us
  
Fall and Spring Public Hours
Monday - Friday   9:00 am - 4: 30 pm
and evening hours when regular classes are in session
Tuesday and Wednesday 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

* Our Hours Change in the Summer *
FAFSA on the Web - the fastest way to apply for aid

For Direct Loan Filers

Basic information about the Direct Loan is on our Programs page --- see sections on Subsidized Direct Loans, Unsubsidized Direct Loans, and Parent Loans.

The initial step in applying for a Direct Loan is to complete both the FAFSA and the TAP applications. 
If after your applications are cleared and your eligibility has been determined for other aid, you feel you need to file for a Direct Loan, follow the instructions below. 

GPA Requirements
Note that
a student applying for a Perkins or Direct Loan must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.   Graduate Students applying for a Direct Loan must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

Additional Steps to Apply for a Direct Loan
1) If you have not already completed a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) within the last two years, you will need to complete one on the web at  http://dlenote.ed.gov  before you submit Direct Loan request papers to us.   Be sure to bring a copy of that completed MPN when you submit your loan request.

2) If you do not already have a financial aid PIN (the same one you may have used to sign your FAFSA on the web), you must file for one at  http://www.pin.ed.gov  in order to do the MPN on the web.

3) Ask in the Financial Aid Office for the Direct Loan Request Papers.  Complete and submit the request forms and a copy of your completed Queens College DL eMPN in the Financial Aid Office *** Call first to be sure when we begin accepting applications if you are filing for a semester that has not yet begun.  Before filing these request papers you must be sure that:

4) If you were already approved for a Direct Loan at another college for the same loan period, be sure to cancel it before filing for the loan through us.

5) For information on Summer Direct  Loans, see our Summer Aid web page.

6) We don't like to encourage students to take more than they need in loan. If however you find that you need to request review of your eligibility for an INCREASE in the Direct Loan already processed and awarded, you may do so in any one of the following ways:

Interest Rates
Direct Loan interest rates are variable and are adjusted each year on July 1.   Your interest rate starts at the rate in effect when your loan goes into repayment.

Exit Counseling
When you drop below 6 credits, you are required to have an Exit Interview for your Direct Loan.  You may do it in person in the Financial Aid Office.  You may also do the exit counseling on the web at http://www.dlssonline.com/ - select the link for Exit Counseling that is on the top of the page.  When you complete the exit counseling, print the Rights and Responsibilities Summary Checklist that is a part of the exit on the web, and return it to the Direct Loan Coordinator in the Financial Aid Office.

Loan Consolidation
Sometimes you can combine loans taken under a variety of student loan programs into one, through a process callled student loan consolidation.  Note that loans that have been consolidated often do NOT retain the original provisions of the various loans.  Be sure that you understand the implications of consolidating and what each consolidator offers if you think you might want to do this.

More about the Direct Loan
More about the Direct Loan is available on the web at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/pubs/studentbasics.pdf and on the web at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/pubs/entrcounselguide.pdf . See also http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/cancelstaff.jsp?tab=repaying for information on the
limited possibilities under this program for  teacher cancellation.

Please note: The Direct Loan and the Perkins Loan are two separate programs,with different requirements and provisions.


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