Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government

by: Michael Saunders
Federal Direct Student Loans are available to assist those vocational, undergraduate, and graduate postsecondary students (or their parents) and allows them to borrow money directly from the Federal government. This is done so that these students or their parents do not have to take out loans through private or other commercial lenders that oftentimes have much higher interest rates or simply will not provide a loan.

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.

Federal Direct Student Loans are overseen by the Department of Education. In order to be eligible for Federal Direct Student Loans the student is required to be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen (this means those with a Alien Registration Card or those with a Arrival Departure Record with specific designations).

To qualify for Federal Direct Student Loans the student must be accepted or currently already enrolled in a degree or certificate program. The student has to be at least a half-time basis undergraduate, graduate, or professional student at a postsecondary that participates with Federal Direct Student Loans. Students are not allowed to owe a refund on another a Title IV grant, and cannot currently have a Title IV loan that is defaulted. The student will also have to get a certification of eligibility from their school.
  (continued...)

Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government
  Page 2

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

National Science Foundation's Smart Health and Wellbeing Program
The National Science Foundation has constituted the development of the Smart Health and Wellbeing (SHB) Program wherein they intend to address scientific and technical issues that would pave the way towards the transformation of the healthcare process from being rather reactive and hospital centered into becoming preventive, proactive, evidence-based, patient-centered and focused on the wellbeing of the person rather than his/her disease.

---

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.

---

Financing Your Education - Federal Perkins Loans
The Federal Perkins Loan Program helps those undergraduate postsecondary students that cannot afford their educational expenses without financial assistance with a low interest loan. The loan is in place to help them meet their educational expenses to the completion of a postsecondary degree.

---

What does it mean that Federal Student Aid is a PBO?
A PBO is a Performance Based Organization representing an initiative that was created in order to help the government operate more effectively and efficiently. When people call Federal Student Aid a PBO, this means that they are committed to and hold the same standards of the Performance Based Organization.

---