COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL
FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN REQUEST AND CREDIT AUTHORIZATION FORM
Student Name: _______________________________________________________________________________
UNI or CUID: _______________________________________________________________________________
Driver’s License: State: _______ Number: _________________________________________________
Date of Birth: ________________________________________________________________________________
Citizenship or Visa Status: ____________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ___________________________________________________________________________________
E-mail Address: _______________________________________________________________________________
ALL APPLICANTS for Federal Direct Unsubsidized and/or Graduate PLUS loans must complete this section, EXCEPT entering first-year students applying for Law School need-based grants.
Students beginning the first year of their JD program in who are applying for Law School grants will be sent a form with their award decision, asking them to provide this information.
FEDERAL DIRECT LOANS
UNSUBSIDIZED Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Amount Requested ($, Maximum) $_________________________________________________
GRADUATE PLUS LOAN Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Amount Requested $_________________________________________________
NOTES:
The average educational loan fees for borrowers at Columbia Law School will automatically be added to the cost of attendance at the time of loan certification. Based upon an assessment of Law
School borrowing during the academic year at the time of printing, the average educational loan fees amount to $, ($ for Unsubsidized loans and $, for Graduate PLUS
loans).
The maximum amount a student can request is limited to the dierence of their cost attendance and awarded financial aid (COA – Fin. Aid). This amount may be adjusted if the student receives
any additional resources such as scholarships, outside awards, tuition assistance, etc.
Be sure to take into consideration that an origination fee (.% Unsubsidized, .% Grad PLUS) is deducted from the loan proceeds at disbursement. Thus, a requested Graduate Plus loan
amount of , would yield a net disbursement of $,. The loan amounts will typically disburse in equal installments over each semester of the academic year.
If a loan amount is not specified per semester and the remaining budget available remains within the cost of attendance, the loan will be split evenly for the requested amount amongst the
semesters.
If you have not already completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA:
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa), we will not be able to process your Federal
Direct Loan application(s). It is recommended that graduate students exhaust all other federal
student loan options before utilizing a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. To be eligible for
the Federal Direct Loans, a student must be enrolled in a degree-granting program at least
half time (6 credits) for the semester(s) for which the loan is being requested. Please note
that federal regulations do not allow Federal Direct Loan applications to be processed for an
outstanding balance that is associated with an academic period that has already ended.
Master Promissory Note Requirement.
After thoroughly completing this form (DO NOT LEAVE ANY BLANKS) and submitting it
to our oce, you must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN). Continuing Students for
whom the Columbia Law School Financial Aid Oce certified a Federal Direct loan in a prior
year do not need to submit a new MPN. Please follow these additional steps to ensure that
your Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan is processed:
• Complete a Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) and the
required entrance counseling at https://studentaid.gov.
• Log in to website with your Federal Student Aid ID. If you do not have a Federal Student
Loan ID, go to https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm to create one.
Once you submit this form to our oce, the U.S. Department of Education will perform a
credit check. You will receive separate notification from them regarding the approval or denial
of your loan.
Additional Resources.
Student Loan Support Center – https://studentaid.gov/help-center/contact
Loan Repayment Calculators – https://studentaid.gov/h/manage-loans
National Student Loan Database – nsldsfap.ed.gov/nslds_SA
Disclosure regarding Direct Unsubsidized Loan versus the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan.
The chart below outlines the dierences and similarities between the Direct Unsubsidized
Loan and Direct Graduate PLUS Loan.
Privacy Act Disclosure Notice.
The Privacy Act of U.S.C.a) requires that the following notice be provided to you.
The authority for collecting the information requested on this form is et seq. of the Higher
Education Act of , as amended. Your disclosure of this information is voluntary. However,
if you do not provide this information, you cannot be considered for a Direct PLUS Loan. The
information on this form will be used to determine your eligibility for a Direct PLUS Loan. The
information in your file may be disclosed to third parties as authorized under routine uses
in the Privacy Act notices called “Title IV Program Files” (originally published on April ,
, Federal Register, Vol p. ) and “National Student Loan Data System” (originally
published on December , , Federal Register, Vol p. ). Thus this information
may be disclosed to federal and state agencies, private parties such as relatives, present and
former employees and creditors, and contractors of the Department of Education for purposes
of administration of the student financial assistance program, for enforcement purposes, for
litigation where such disclosure is compatible with the purposes for which the records were
collected, for use by federal, state, local, or foreign agencies in connection with employment
matters or the issuance of a license, grant, or other benefit, for use in any employment griev-
ance or discipline proceeding in which the Federal Government is a party, for use in connection
with audits or other investigations, for research purposes, for purposes of determining where
particular records are required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, and to
a Member of Congress in response to an inquiry from the congressional oce made at your
written request. Because we request your social security number (SSN), we must inform you
that we collect your SSN on a voluntary basis but section (a)() of the HEA ( U.S.C.
(a)()) provides that, in order to receive any grant, loan or work assistance under Title
IV of the HEA, a student must provide his or her SSN. Your SSN is used to verify your identity,
and as an account number (identifier) throughout the life of your loan(s) so that data may be
recorded accurately.
Consent to Obtain Credit Report
(For Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Borrowers Only).
I consent to the U.S. Department of Education and its agents obtaining a report of my credit
record and using the information from that report in determining whether to approve a gradu-
ate PLUS Loan for me. I understand that I will be notified in writing by the U.S. Department of
Education of the results of the credit check with respect to my loan application.
By signing this form, I certify that I will use any federal funds I receive during the award year
covered by this application solely for expenses related to attendance at Columbia Law School. I
also certify that I am not in default on a federal student loan or owe a repayment on any federal
financial aid. I further agree that Columbia University may transfer PLUS proceeds to my
student account for the purpose of paying any mandatory charges. Finally, I am confirming that
I have reviewed the maximum amount of the Direct Unsubsidized Loan I am eligible for along
with the terms and conditions for both loans.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Signature (Must be in ink. Electronic signatures not accepted.)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Date
of
Unsubsidized Loan Graduate PLUS Loan
Credit-Based No Yes
Interest Rates (as of //) .% .
Origination Fees
(// through //)
. .
Grace Period Yes No
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