Federal Student Loan Programs

• Students initially apply for these programs by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  If the student is eligible for an award, it will be included on the student's official award notice.

Other Student Loan Options

• The loans in this section are State, Federal, and Private educational loans that are not automatically awarded to the student on an award letter.  The student or parent must complete an additional application or request form to apply.

• Students and families should watch out for the marketing practices of some student loan lenders.  Don't be mislead into borrowing expensive private loans before exhausting federal financial aid options or talked into borrowing more than you need.

  Alternative education loans are a good source of supplemental funding and this section will provide you with the information you need to make informed choices.  Keep in mind that any legitimate student loan lender will advise you to work with your financial aid office so you don't miss out on all available federal, state and institutional financial aid.

Choosing a Student Loan Lender

• There are literally hundreds of student loan lenders out there, how do you know which one to choose?  This is a very personal decision.  Every student and family must decide what factors are most important when choosing a student loan lender.  This section provides information on some things to consider when making this decision.

Loan Counseling

• Loan counseling provides student borrowers with important information on their rights and responsibilities as a borrower.  Our Managing Your Money section also provides valuable information on credit and debt management.

• All first-time student loan borrowers are required to complete on-line Entrance Loan Counseling before the loan funds can be disbursed to the student.

• All student loan borrowers must complete Exit Loan Counseling when they drop below half-time enrollment, withdraw, or before the end of their last term of enrollment at UND.

Loan Consolidation Information

• Students who are no longer in school and have a large student loan debt to repay or have loans from more than one lender may want to consider consolidating their loans into one payment.  This section provides more information on the process. 

• Federal student loans cannot be consolidated with non-federal student loans.  However there are consolidation programs available for these loans.