Privacy Act Notice
06/14/2016
The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) requires that the following notice be provided to you:
The authority for collecting the requested information from and about you is §451 et seq. of the Higher
Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) and the authorities for collecting
and using your Social Security Number (SSN) are §484(a)(4) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1091(a)(4)) and 31
U.S.C. 7701(b). Participating in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program and giving
us your SSN are voluntary, but you must provide the requested information, including your SSN, to
participate.
The principal purposes for collecting the information on this form, including your SSN, are to verify your
identity, to determine your eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a loan (such as a deferment,
forbearance, discharge, or forgiveness) under the Direct Loan Program, to permit the servicing of your
loan(s), and, if it becomes necessary, to locate you and to collect and report on your loan(s) if your
loan(s) become delinquent or in default. We also use your SSN as an account identifier and to permit you
to access your account information electronically.
The information in your file may be disclosed, on a case-by-case basis or under a computer matching
program, to third parties as authorized under routine uses in the appropriate systems of records notices.
The routine uses of this information include, but are not limited to, its disclosure to federal, state, or local
agencies, to private parties such as relatives, present and former employers, business and personal
associates, to consumer reporting agencies, to financial and educational institutions, and to guaranty
agencies in order to verify your identity, to determine your eligibility to receive a loan or a benefit on a
loan, to permit the servicing or collection of your loan(s), to enforce the terms of the loan(s), to investigate
possible fraud and to verify compliance with federal student financial aid program regulations, or to locate
you if you become delinquent in your loan payments or if you default. To provide default rate calculations,
disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies, to financial and educational institutions, or to state
agencies. To provide financial aid history information, disclosures may be made to educational
institutions. To assist program administrators with tracking refunds and cancellations, disclosures may be
made to guaranty agencies, to financial and educational institutions, or to federal or state agencies. To
provide a standardized method for educational institutions to efficiently submit student enrollment status,
disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies or to financial and educational institutions. To counsel
you in repayment efforts, disclosures may be made to guaranty agencies, to financial and educational
institutions, or to federal, state, or local agencies.
In the event of litigation, we may send records to the Department of Justice, a court, adjudicative body,
counsel, party, or witness if the disclosure is relevant and necessary to the litigation. If this information,
either alone or with other information, indicates a potential violation of law, we may send it to the
appropriate authority for action. We may send information to members of Congress if you ask them to
help you with federal student aid questions. In circumstances involving employment complaints,
grievances, or disciplinary actions, we may disclose relevant records to adjudicate or investigate the
issues. If provided for by a collective bargaining agreement, we may disclose records to a labor
organization recognized under 5 U.S.C. Chapter 71. Disclosures may be made to our contractors for the
purpose of performing any programmatic function that requires disclosure of records. Before making any
such disclosure, we will require the contractor to maintain Privacy Act safeguards. Disclosures may also
be made to qualified researchers under Privacy Act safeguards.
FINANCIAL PRIVACY ACT NOTICE
Under the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3401-3421), ED will have access to financial
records in your student loan file maintained in compliance with the administration of the Direct Loan
Program.