Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government
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For a student that is already enrolled in college to remain eligible for Federal Direct Student Loans they must maintain satisfactory academic progress in their course of study. Should they fail to do so, it is grounds to start the repayment plan. If this were to happen though the student would be notified before the loan simply went into repayment.

Before acceptance, the school that the student is attending/enrolled in will have to certify that the borrower is eligible to receive the funds from the Federal Direct Student Loan. Schools can provide the students the money by issuing a cash or check, transferring the money electronically, or applying the sum directly to the student account at the school.

Repayment on Federal Stafford loans begin around six months after the student stops being enrolled in at least one-half the normal full-time academic course load. This can be either graduation or termination of the program by the student or school. For the other loans that are available under the Federal Direct Student Loans, repayment starts within 60 days after the student is no longer enrolled.

The total loans were $13,022,000,000 in 2007; approximately $14,103,000,000 in 2008; and approximately $14,867,000,000 in 2009. There were over 2.9 loans in 2007 alone.

For more information on Federal Direct Student Loans, the student can contact the Department of Education or the school that they attend/are enrolled in. Applications for the Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans are obtained from the school. Direct consolidation loan applications are obtained from the Department of Education. http://www.direct.ed.gov/


Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government
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About The Author The author edits a site featuring Education Grants and another Government Grants site providing info on every grant the federal government offers. Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Additional Resources

category - Education Grants

Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government
There are different variations of a Federal Direct Student Loan available; these are dependent on whether or not the student is eligible for government assistance. Need based programs include the Stafford Loan and the Direct Subsidized Loan; while non-need based programs are the Direct PLUS program, and the Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

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SMART Grants - Educational Grants for the Student of Math, Science and Languages
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants assist those undergraduate postsecondary students that major in foreign languages or certain designated technical fields. Financial grant assistance is provided on need-basis to help these students meet their educational expenses.

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Pell Grants - Help with Financing Your Education
The Federal Pell Grant Program is overseen by the Department of Education and falls under the Federal Student Aid Information Center. In order to be eligible students must be enrolled in eligible schools that may be public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education.

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American Schools and Hospitals Abroad Program
Much of the international aid provided by the United States government goes to support education and healthcare efforts around the world. Many of these programs are design to encourage the spread of American values to other countries.

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