Loan Program

For information about debt relief, please visit StudentAid.gov/debtrelief

	Application Period		To Be Considered, you must		About Direct Loans		To Determine Eligibility
	Grade Level for Loan Limit Determination		Steps in the Direct Loan Process and Application		Complete Student Education Plan		Payment Schedule
	Policies		Deferment Information		IMPORTANT Disbursement Information		FAQ
The 2023-2024 loan application will be available to turn in at the end of August. Application Processing Period - fall September 1 - November 29             spring  February 1 - April 30
Federal Direct Student Loan Program (link to studentaid.gov)
Las Positas College Default Rate Click image to enlarge
Fresh Start fact sheet for defaulted borrowers:  https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/FreshStartFactSheet.pdf

Federal Direct Loan Program

The Federal Direct Loan assists students from both low- and middle-income families. Students who demonstrate need for a portion or all of the annual limit will receive a 'subsidized loan' for which the federal government will pay the interest while the student is eligible for an in-school deferment and for the duration of any grace period. Direct loan payments are deferred while the student maintains half-time or greater enrollment in school. Repayment begins 6 months after the last date of enrollment in 6 units, or graduation.

Students who do not demonstrate need for part or all of the annual borrowing limit may still receive an 'unsubsidized loan' for which they must pay their own interest during the time they are in school.

A Direct Student loan is a long-term financial obligation which can limit your cash flow and your purchasing ability for many years into the future. We hope you will seriously evaluate whether taking on loan debt is truly necessary to make ends meet. We strongly recommend you look at other ways to meet your current financial needs by careful budgeting, taking on a part-time job, etc. If you decide a loan is a necessity to meet your educational expenses, borrow only what you need.
- Additional information

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. This time limit does not apply to Direct Unsubsidized Loans or Direct PLUS Loans. If this limit applies to you, you may not receive Direct Subsidized Loans for more than 150 percent of the published length of your program. This is called your “maximum eligibility period.” Your maximum eligibility period is generally based on the published length of your current program. You can usually find the published length of any program of study in your school’s catalog.

Example: If you are enrolled in a two-year associate degree program, the maximum period for which you can receive Direct Subsidized Loans is three years (150 percent of 2 years = 3 years).

Because your maximum eligibility period is based on the length of your current program of study, your maximum eligibility period can change if you change to a program that has a different length. Also, if you receive Direct Subsidized Loans for one program and then change to another program, the Direct Subsidized Loans you received for the earlier program will generally count toward your new maximum eligibility period.

Helpful Information: Federal Student Loans Basics for Students (PDF)

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2023-2024 Application period

Fall	September 1 - November 29
Spring	February 1 - April 30

 

THINK BEFORE BORROWING!

A Stafford Student loan is a long-term financial obligation. We have provided this brief to help you make an informed decision about borrowing a student loan, to understand Las Positas' loan process and loan policies. We hope you will seriously evaluate whether taking on loan debt is truly necessary to make ends meet. We strongly recommend you look at other ways to meet your current financial needs by careful budgeting, taking on a part-time job, etc. If you decide a loan is a necessity to meet your educational expenses, borrow only what you need. Please read this description carefully and the Direct Loan Basics & Entrance Counseling Guide. We would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

FSA Contact Information:
Customer Support Center at 1-800-999-8219
Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm ET or email https://studentaid.gov/help-center/contact 

To be considered for a Direct Loan, you must:

• Have a completed financial aid file at Las Positas,
• Be academically eligible by meeting satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements,
• Be enrolled at least half time at Las Positas College (a minimum of six (6) units) during the loan period in courses which apply to your declared major. You must be working toward completion of an eligible Transfer, Certificate or Associate degree granting program. (English as a Second Language and Remedial Courses are not eligible classes for the loan program)
• Must have a Complete Student Educational Plan (SEP), not an abbreviated plan, with a counselor for your declared major/degree program.
• You must be working toward completion of an eligible degree program, e.g. Associate, Transfer, or Certificate degree program.
• Students with outstanding loans from previous colleges who are new to Las Positas must submit official transcripts from their prior college. Transcripts will be reviewed for progress and to determine courses that will count toward the student’s current academic goal.
• A student is ineligible for any federal financial aid, including student loans, if in DEFAULT on a prior student loan(s), or if owes a repayment of Title IV financial aid to any school in the country.

ABOUT DIRECT LOANS

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Both Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans are available at Las Positas:

A subsidized loan is awarded based on financial need and eligibility. The federal government pays your interest charges while you attend school at least half time, for 6 months after the day you leave school or drop below half-time enrollment status, and while you have a deferment on your loan.

An unsubsidized loan is not awarded on the basis of need, but may not exceed the cost of attendance minus any other aid received. For unsubsidized loans, you must pay all interest charges.

Interest rate and fees effective July 1, 2023 and prior to July 1, 2024

 

	Interest Rate	Origination Fee 2023-2024
Disbursement Date	7/01/2023 - 7/01/2024	10/01/2023 -10/01/2024
Direct Subsidized	5.50%	1.057%
Direct Unsubsidized Undergraduate	5.50%	1.057%

REPAYMENT:

Begins six months after you either graduate OR drop below six (6) units. Payments are a minimum $50.00 per month or more, depending on the cumulative amount borrowed.

DETERMINATION OF LOAN ELIGIBILITY

Requesting a certain loan type and amount does not mean you are eligible for that type or amount of loan(s).

Cost of Attendance – Expected Family Contribution – Financial Aid awarded - Other Resources = Remaining Eligibility for Direct Loans

 

To begin review of a student loan request, the FAO (Financial Aid Office) reviews student’s total annual and aggregate loan debt, grade level, program level (Certificate, Associate, Transfer), academic eligibility (SAP), and current enrollment.  We ensure the student is not in default of prior loan nor owes a financial aid repayment using https://studentaid.gov/, a national database showing all student loans and Pell Grants received by a student at any college or university across the country.  We review your academic and financial aid history, and if you are new to Las Positas, we verify attendance and progress with your instructors.

If our review results in approval, the FAO calculates loan eligibility by taking the student’s cost of attendance minus expected family contribution minus all financial aid awarded and other financial resources available to the student.

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Steps in the Direct Loan Process

Step 1. Submit a 2023-2024 FAFSA

If you haven’t already done so, you must FIRST submit a 2023-2024 FAFSA online at https://studentaid.gov/ and submit any in-school forms requested by the Financial Aid Office (FAO) indicated as requirements on CLASS WEB.
Direct Loans will only be considered AFTER your 2023-2024 financial aid documents have been processed and eligibility for free grant money has been determined.

Step 2. Complete Entrance Counseling & Master Promissory Note (MPN)

LOGIN TO : www.StudentAid.gov

Complete:

1. ENTRANCE LOAN COUNSELING 
2. MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE (MPN)

Step 3. Submit Loan Application (loan application - and 'Complete' Student Educational Plan to Financial Aid Office.

Upon approval of your submitted Student Loan Request, the financial aid office will send an e-mail message to your secure Zonemail Student E-mail alerting you to check your Financial Aid awards on the CLASS-Web Portal. (Brocures available at front counter)

(You may also change your preferences so that your Zonemail forwards to your personal email address.)

*Student Education Plan Required

You must submit a current Student Education Plan (SEP) dated within the last 2 semesters or *12 months.  To receive a SEP, please complete the Request for Student Education Plan (FORM) and email to lpcfinaid@laspositascollege.edu.
DO NOT SEND TO COUNSELING.  
*Students in EOPS, DSPS, CalWORKs, and Veterans First Programs should contact their respective program counselor for a SEP.

Process:

1) When your form is received, Financial Aid will send the completed request to Counseling.

2) Counseling will notify you at your Zonemail when the SEP is ready.

3) Download a copy of your SEP and attach it to your Loan Application.

Step 4. Receipt of Awarded Direct Loan refunds

Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized award amounts disburse in two payments. Refer to ‘Direct Loan Refund Schedule’ below for payment (refund) dates.

Your Loan WILL NOT disburse if the Entrance Counseling and MPN are not completed. The origination fee is deducted from the total amount of your loan awarded.

Your second payment will not disburse if you have not completed the EXIT counseling.

CONTINUE Loan Entrance Counseling TUTORIAL Videos

DIRECT LOAN REFUND SCHEDULE

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Academic Year Loan Period	Inclusive Dates	First Payment	Second Payment
Fall 2023 & Spring 2024	08/2023-05/2023	09/24/2023	02/01/2023
Fall 2022 Only	08/2023-12/2023	09/24/2023	10/29/2023
Spring 2023 Only	01/2024-05/2024	02/22/2024	03/29/2024

The refund dates shown above are estimates.
The first actual refund date will depend on when your file is completed and your loan is actually processed. Authorized loans are visible on student accounts approximately 1 week prior to the refund date.

Funds are released via your selected refund preference through BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc.

Step 5. Exit Counseling:

https://studentaid.gov/ 

Las Positas requires that you complete the online Exit Counseling BEFORE your 2nd scheduled loan disbursement.  (Refer to ‘Direct Loan Refund Schedule’ for refund dates). 
Your 2nd disbursement WILL NOT disburse if this requirement is not successfully completed.

GRADE LEVEL FOR LOAN LIMIT DETERMINATION

The FAO must use the grade level as determined by the Las Positas Admissions & Records Office. A student who has completed less than 30 degree-applicable units is considered a first year student (freshman). A student who has completed 30 or more degree-applicable units is considered a second year student (sophomore).  If a student intends to include units earned from a prior school to establish 2nd year loan eligibility, s/he must request official academic transcripts be evaluated by Las Positas Admissions & Records.  Prior college units are counted only if they apply to the current degree and major being pursued.

Subsidized Limits

$3,500 for a first-year student (0-29 earned units which apply to the current degree and major) enrolled in an eligible certificate, associate or transfer degree program. ($3500 is the maximum annual amount allowed for any certificate-seeking student.)

$4,500 for a student who has completed the first year of study (30 or more earned units which apply to the current degree and major) in an eligible associate or transfer degree program. (Maximum amount for a student in an associate degree and/or transfer program.)

Unsubsidized Limits

Dependent students are limited to annual maximum of $5,500 (freshman level) or $6,500 (sophomore level) in combined Subsidized/Unsubsidized Stafford loans.

Independent students may be eligible for up to an additional $6,000 in unsubsidized loans each year.

The maximum aggregate debt you can accumulate for all of your combined student loans is $31,000 as a dependent undergraduate student and $57,500 as independent undergraduate student (through a Bachelors degree). Only $23,000 of this amount may be in subsidized loans.

Please think about how much more you may need to depend on student loans in the future, once you transfer into a four year institution. Don’t mortgage your future by taking on debt unnecessarily at the community college level.

 

LAS POSITAS COLLEGE LOAN POLICIES

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LOAN APPROVAL/DENIAL: The Financial Aid Office may deny, on a case-by-case basis, a loan application for a student who has been in default, who has demonstrated or is demonstrating poor academic progress, and/or if student already has a high cumulative student loan debt. For new students to the college and for students with a history of questionable academic or financial aid progress, the financial aid office reserves the right to verify student’s actual attendance and progress in courses prior to loan approval. Poor attendance or progress may be a basis for denial of a loan or cancellation of a loan disbursement. 
The Financial Aid Office may also limit an individual student’s approved loan amount based on a number of factors, including total cumulative debt, rate of academic progression related to debt incurred, and other considerations.

PRIOR TRANSCRIPT REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH PRIOR LOANS: Students who are borrowing at Las Positas College for the first time who have outstanding loan balances from previous colleges are required to submit official transcripts from those other colleges before a loan is approved at Las Positas. Prior progress at previous colleges, in addition to any academic and financial aid history at Las Positas, will be a consideration for loan approval, as part of our default prevention plan. Students who have previously borrowed at Las Positas and have NOT attended any additional colleges since borrowing those loans are exempt from this requirement.

Important!

Loans will be authorized only after the ADD/DROP PERIOD is completed each semester.
New borrowers at Las Positas are required to wait 30 days into their first semester to receive their first loan disbursement.

REQUIREMENT FOR AT LEAST 6 UNITS OF COURSEWORK TO HAVE BEGUN PRIOR TO LOAN DISBURSEMENT: Students in short term courses must have at least 6 units of courses whose start dates have passed before funds can be released.

Enrollment in late-start courses may affect the timing of a student becoming eligible to receive their loan funds depending on the number of units which began prior to the scheduled release date.

(English as a Second Language (ESL) and Remedial Courses are not eligible classes for the loan program)

REQUIREMENT FOR ALL LOANS TO BE AWARDED IN TWO PAYMENTS: All student loans will be awarded equally between fall/spring semesters when students request the maximum annual amount(s). No more than half the annual maximum will be awarded during the fall semester. All student loans, even one-semester loans, must be disbursed in at least two disbursements.

PLEASE REMEMBER, ALL BORROWERS MUST SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE EXIT COUNSELING (https://studentaid.gov/) PRIOR TO RECEIVING THEIR SECOND DISBURSEMENT.

 

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Resources

You can review all of your own loan history at https://studentaid.gov/ by logging in with your FSA ID.

Borrow only what you really need; save your loan eligibility for when you attend a four year school to assist you in covering the increased expenses.

For more information on the Direct Loan Program

• https://studentaid.gov/ 
• Financial Aid Information Page: http://www.finaid.org
• FSA Loan Simulator - what your payments might look like

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