Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Direct Consolidation Loans are types of Direct Loans. Learn more about the types of federal student loans and how to get a federal student loan.
If you're unsure if your loan is federal or private, log into your lender's account — or the place you make your monthly payments. The current federal student loan servicers are: HESC/Edfinancial. MOHELA.
Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans are federal student loans offered by the Department of Education. They help eligible students cover the cost of higher education. This can be at a four-year college or university, community college, trade, career or technical school.
Only federal direct loans qualify for loan forgiveness. You can't avail it for private loans. These programmes aren't an option for defaulted loans. You'll need to use consolidation or rehabilitation to get defaulted federal student loans in good standing before they're eligible for forgiveness programmes.
If you have loans that have been in repayment for more than 20 or 25 years, those loans may immediately qualify for forgiveness. Borrowers who have reached 20 or 25 years (240 or 300 months) worth of eligible payments for IDR forgiveness will see their loans forgiven as they reach these milestones.
Which loans are eligible for loan forgiveness? Only Federal Direct Loan Program loans that are not in default are eligible for PSLF (ie - Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, Direct Consolidation Loans).
There is a limit on the maximum period of time (measured in academic years) that you can receive Direct Subsidized Loans. In general, you may not receive Direct Subsidized Loans for more than 150% of the published length of your program. This is called your “maximum eligibility period”.
Federal student loans are broken down into four categories: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans and Direct Consolidation Loans. Within those categories, there are loan options for undergraduate students, graduate students, professional students and even parents.
You'll have to repay the money with interest. Subsidized loans don't generally start accruing (accumulating) interest until you leave school (or drop below half-time enrollment), so accept a subsidized loan before an unsubsidized loan. Next, accept an unsubsidized loan before a PLUS loan.
You can identify your loan types by logging on to StudentAid.gov and selecting “My Aid” in the dropdown menu under your name. In the “Loan Breakdown” section, you'll see a list of each loan you received. You'll also see loans you paid off or consolidated into a new loan.
Private borrowers won't be eligible for federal forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), or income-driven repayment (IDR) plans.
To figure out what type of federal loan you have, look at the promissory note and application, or log into your account on studentaid.gov. You can also look at the top of your monthly bill – the name of the program should be listed there.
Sallie Mae provides private student loans. Federal loans formerly managed by Sallie Mae were moved to other servicers.
In 2021, Navient's contract with the Department of Education to service Direct Loans finally ended. Navient announced in early 2024 that it intended to transfer the servicing of its remaining loans to another servicer.
Direct Loans are issued by the U.S. Department of Education, while indirect loans are made by colleges and universities. Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) and Perkins Loans are two common types of indirect loans. These loans were made by private lenders and guaranteed by the federal government.
Plan 2 refers to a student loan taken out from September 2012 onwards, in England or Wales. Older loans (from England or Wales) and loans taken out in Northern Ireland, are called plan 1 loans.
Depending on your loan type, there may be times when no payment is due, and other times when you must take specific actions to provide information to your loan servicer, or to make payments toward your loan. Those who have Federal Direct Loans typically go through three stages: in school, in grace, and in repayment.
Financial Aid recipients will be terminated upon reaching 150 percent of the number of credits needed to complete their degree, diploma or certificate program. This regulation applies to all students, including those that have not previously received financial aid.
You'll also be eligible for student loan forgiveness on any remaining balance after the repayment period ends. This is usually after 20–25 years. Both direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans are eligible for any of the four IDR plans.
Direct Subsidized Loans are available only to undergraduate students who have financial need. Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to both undergraduates and graduate or professional degree students. You are not required to show financial need to receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
What student loans are not eligible for forgiveness? Private student loans, by definition, are private and are not eligible to be forgiven. These are loans the borrower owes to student loan providers and not the federal government.
After at least 20 years of student loan payments under an income-driven repayment plan — IDR forgiveness and 20-year student loan forgiveness. After 25 years if you borrowed loans for graduate school — 25-year federal loan forgiveness.