UNDERGRADUATE SELF-HELP AID

EMPLOYMENT

Federal Work Study Program

This is a need based program which provides funding for campus jobs for full-time undergraduate students.   The application process is the FAFSA form and students will be notified on their financial aid award letter if they are eligible.  Students may choose the department where they want to work based on the availability of positions and work approximately 6 hours per week and are paid a minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour.   

LOANS

FEDERAL DIRECT STAFFORD LOAN PROGRAM

This federal loan is available to students enrolled on at least a half time basis and is not credit based.  The amount students can borrow each academic year is based on class level.  Freshman can borrow a maximum of $5,500, sophomores can borrow a maximum of $6,500 and juniors and seniors can borrow a maximum of $7,500 per academic year. 

The Federal Direct Stafford Loan will be part of the financial aid award package and the student must submit the FAFSA form in order to qualify.  The loan will be certified by the Financial Aid Office unless the award letter is returned by the student indicating that the loan is not needed. 

Due to a new federal regulation, all students, including new students who have never borrowed or upper class students who have already borrowed, are required to borrow through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program.  In order to apply for a loan, students must go onto the Federal Loan web site and complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN).

COMPLETING A DIRECT LOAN MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE 

To apply for a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, go to the web site: www.studentloans.gov

Click on Sign In.  Provide your social security number, the first 2 characters of your last name, date of birth, and your FAFSA pin number.  This will bring you to a page with your personal information.  If you are a first time student at Seton Hill and have never borrowed before, you must first click on Complete Entrance Counseling and complete the entrance counseling session before you proceed to the MPN.  If you have previously borrowed at Seton Hill University, skip the entrance counseling and proceed to the next step.  Click on Complete Master Promissory Note to complete and sign your MPN.  You will see three options: 

1.Subsidized/Unsubsidized (Stafford)  2.Graduate PLUS  3.Parent PLUS.  Choose Subsidized/Unsubsidized (Stafford). Once you have completed and signed the MPN, you will get a message stating, "Thank you for submitting your MPN, you may view your MPN in a PDF document."  The financial aid office will be notified and we will be able to complete the certification process. 

FEDERAL DIRECT PLUS LOAN PROGRAM 

This loan is for parents of dependent undergraduate students.  Parents who are credit approved may borrow a PLUS loan each year to assist in meeting college expenses that are not covered by other financial aid resources.  This loan will not appear on the Financial Aid Award Letter.  The maximum amount a parent may borrow is the difference between the total cost of attendance minus the students total financial aid.  Repayment traditionally begins within 60 days of the final disbursement of the loan although parents may choose to make interest payments only and defer the principle until the student graduates.  The interest rate is fixed at 7.9%.

COMPLETING A FEDERAL DIRECT PLUS LOAN MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE 

To apply for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, go to the web site: www.studentloans.gov

Click on Sign In, then Request a PLUS Loan and provide your information. Click on Complete Master Promissory Note and select Parent PLUS.

ALTERNATIVE LOANS 

This loan is for parents or students to cover college expenses that are not covered by other financial aid resources.  The Financial Aid Office strongly suggests exhausting other loan options before looking into Alternative Loans as they are not subject to federal loan regulations like Stafford and PLUS loans. Interest rates, fees, and loan amounts are subject to your credit score and most students are required to have a cosigner to qualify.  Seton Hill University does not recommend any particular lenders over any other lenders that currently offer alternative loan products.  The Financial Aid Office will certify any loan that a student chooses to borrow from and all of the lenders that have done business with Seton Hill University students in the last 3 years can be found as part of any of the options listed below.    

ALTERNATIVE LOAN OPTIONS

Pennsylvania Private Loan Marketplace Once you and your family have considered federal loan options, you can use the Pennsylvania Private Loan Marketplace to instantly and accurately compare customized rates and terms from multiple alternative loan lenders side-by-side.  The Marketplace displays products from up to 7 local and national lender options complete with detailed listings of APRs (annual percentage rates), interest rates, total cost, monthly payments, borrower benefits, fees and repayment options that is customized to each individual borrower application.  This is the only product out there that will give you this kind of information and will help you make an informed decision about the most appropriate loan for you.

ELM SELECT option.  If you are interested in pursuing another alternative loan option other than the Pennsylvania Private Loan Marketplace you may go to www.elmselect.com . This will give you a side-by-side comparison of general information of 6 more lenders.  The information is not customized to each borrower but you will be able to gather general information such as their interest rate range. 

CODE OF CONDUCT

Our school has adopted a Code of Conduct with respect to student loans which applies to all employees in the financial aid office and anyone else at our school who has any responsibilities with respect to student loans or the selection of preferred lenders for student loans.  You can find the complete Code of Conduct under Policies & Procedures.