William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
Direct Subsidized Loan and Direct Unsubsidized Loan Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities Statement
PAGE 6 OF 14
11/2019
OMB No. 1845-0007
Form Approved
Exp. Date 07/31/2022
ABOUT THE BORROWER’S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT
(BRR)
This BRR provides additional information about the terms and conditions of
the loans you receive under the accompanying Master Promissory Note
(MPN) for Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Please
keep this BRR for your records. You may request another copy of the BRR at
any time by contacting your loan servicer. You can also obtain a complete
copy of the MPN that you signed, including the BRR, on StudentAid.gov.
Throughout this BRR, the words "we," "us," and "our" refer to the U.S.
Department of Education or our servicers. The word "loan" refers to one or
more loans made under the accompanying MPN.
1. LAWS THAT APPLY TO THIS MPN AND OTHER LEGAL INFORMATION
The terms and conditions of loans made under this MPN are determined by
the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (the HEA), and other federal
laws and regulations. We refer to these laws and regulations as "the Act"
throughout this BRR. Under applicable state law (unless federal law
preempts a state law), you may have certain borrower rights, remedies, and
defenses in addition to those stated in the MPN and this BRR.
Any notice we are required to send you related to a loan made under this
MPN, even if you do not receive the notice, will be effective if it is sent by
first-class mail to the most recent address that we have for you, sent by
electronic means to an email address you have provided, or sent by any
other method of notification that is permitted or required by the Act. You
must immediately notify your servicer of a change in your contact
information or status (see BRR Item 14).
If we do not enforce a term of this MPN, that does not waive our right to
enforce that term or any other term in the future. No term of this MPN may
be modified or waived, unless we do so in writing. If any term of this MPN is
determined to be unenforceable, the remaining terms remain in force.
NOTE: Amendments to the Act may change the terms of this MPN. Any
amendment to the Act that changes the terms of this MPN will be applied
to your loans in accordance with the effective date of the amendment.
Depending on the effective date of the amendment, amendments to the
Act may modify or remove a benefit that existed at the time that you
signed this MPN.
2. THE WILLIAM D. FORD FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM
The Direct Loan Program (formally known as the William D. Ford Federal
Direct Loan Program) includes the following types of loans, known
collectively as "Direct Loans":
Direct Subsidized Loans (formally known as Federal Direct
Stafford/Ford Loans)
Direct Unsubsidized Loans (formally known as Federal Direct
Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans)
Direct PLUS Loans (formally known as Federal Direct PLUS Loans)
Direct Consolidation Loans (formally known as Federal Direct
Consolidation Loans)
Direct Loans are made by the U.S. Department of Education. We contract
with servicers to process Direct Loan payments, deferment and forbearance
requests, and other transactions, and to answer questions about Direct
Loans. We will provide you with information about how to contact us or our
servicers after your school notifies us that the first disbursement of your
loan has been made. It is important to keep in contact with your servicer.
If we transfer one or all of your loans to a new servicer, we will notify you of
who your new servicer is, how to contact your new servicer, and when your
loans will be transferred. A transfer of the servicing of your loan does not
affect any of your rights and responsibilities under that loan. You can find
the name of your servicer in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
(see BRR Item 19).
3. DIRECT SUBSIDIZED LOANS AND DIRECT UNSUBSIDIZED LOANS
Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans are made to
students to help pay for the cost of education beyond high school.
Direct Subsidized Loans are available only to undergraduate students. Direct
Unsubsidized Loans are available to both undergraduate students and
graduate or professional students.
To receive a Direct Subsidized Loan, you must have financial need. Except as
explained in BRR Item 8, we do not charge interest on Direct Subsidized
Loans while you are in school on at least a half-time basis, during the grace
period, during deferment periods, and during certain periods of repayment
under the Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (REPAYE Plan), the Pay
As You Earn Repayment Plan (PAYE Plan), and the Income-Based Repayment
Plan (IBR Plan).
You can receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan without showing that you have
financial need. Except during certain periods of repayment under the
REPAYE Plan, we charge interest on Direct Unsubsidized Loans during all
periods. For more information on periods when we charge interest, see BRR
Item 8.
4. TIME LIMITATION ON DIRECT SUBSIDIZED LOAN ELIGIBILITY FOR FIRST-
TIME BORROWERS ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2013
If you are a first-time borrower on or after July 1, 2013, there is a limit on
the maximum period of time (measured in academic years) that you can
receive Direct Subsidized Loans.
You are a first-time borrower on or after July 1, 2013 if you had no
outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or on a Federal Family Education Loan
Program (FFEL Program) loan on July 1, 2013, or if you have no outstanding
balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL program loan on the date you obtain a
Direct Loan after July 1, 2013.
In general, if you are a first-time borrower on or after July 1, 2013 you may
not receive Direct Subsidized Loans for more than 150% of the published
length of your program of study. This is called your "maximum eligibility
period." For example, if you are enrolled in a 4-year bachelor’s degree
program, the maximum period for which you can receive Direct Subsidized
Loans is 6 years (150% of 4 years is 6 years).
Your maximum eligibility period is based on the published length of the
program in which you are currently enrolled. This means that your
maximum eligibility period can change if you change programs. If you
receive Direct Subsidized Loans for one program and then change to a
different program, the period of time for which you received Direct
Subsidized Loans for the earlier program will generally count against your
new maximum eligibility period.
After you have received Direct Subsidized Loans for your maximum
eligibility period, you are no longer eligible to receive additional Direct
Subsidized Loans, and if you are enrolled in school, you may become
responsible for paying interest on your Direct Subsidized Loans. You may
continue to receive Direct Unsubsidized Loans.
With certain exceptions as provided under the Act (for example, if you
graduate from your program of study before or at the time you receive
Direct Subsidized Loans for your maximum eligibility period), we will charge
interest on your Direct Subsidized Loans during all periods if you—
Continue to be enrolled in any undergraduate program after you have
received Direct Subsidized Loans for your maximum eligibility period,
or