Direct Loans
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

Student Aid

The U.S. Department of Education's has a Direct Loan Program, which provides loans to help students pay for education after high school. The Department of Education acts as a lender, providing funds for Stafford loans and PLUS loans in the same amounts as the Stafford and PLUS loans offered through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. (In the FFEL Program banks and other private lenders provide these loans.)

Students  Go to our students page to learn more about Direct Loans, how to apply, where to go for online loan counseling, what free publications are available, and how to avoid default.

Financial Aid Professionals  Those who work in the field of financial aid can take advantage of the resources available on our professionals page: find out how to become a Direct Loan Program participant, get relevant publications, go to the Direct Loan regulations or the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) site, and more.

Interactive Calculators  Use the budget calculator to enter estimated income and expenses and find out how much money will be needed for the school year. Use the monthly repayment calculators to compare the monthly and total payments under the different repayment plans.

Direct Loan Servicing  For those who already have a Direct Loan, the servicing site is the one-stop center for managing that loan. A borrower can make online payments, view account balances and payment history, get loan counseling, change billing options, enroll in electronic services, and more.

Loan Consolidation  Consolidating loans can be a great way to simplify repayment and lower monthly payments, and Direct Loans can be consolidated with other student loans. To find out more, visit the consolidation webpage.

Direct Loan Service
Direct Loan Consolidation