PLUS Loans

The PLUS Loan enables parents of undergraduate students and eligible graduate students to borrow funds to assist with education-related expenses. The PLUS Loan is not based on need, meaning it does not depend on family income or assets; however, the program requires that you have filed a FAFSA and have a complete financial aid application to be considered for this loan. Interest rates, fees, and other PLUS loan information is available on the Federal Student Aid website.

While graduate/professional students may borrow under the PLUS Loan Program, we recommend that they maximize their federal Direct Loan eligibility before attempting to apply for a PLUS Loan. Many SCSU graduate students may not be eligible to borrow additional funds under the PLUS Loan Program as their total eligibility would have been met under other student loan programs. Contact our office for a graduate/professional PLUS Loan application.

PLUS Loan Application Process (Undergraduate Students)

The parent completes the following steps to apply for a federal PLUS Loan.

1. Sign in to the Direct PLUS Loan Application on the FSA website with the borrower's (PARENT) FSA ID.
2. Click on either of the blue "Log in" or "Log in to Start" buttons and follow the steps to complete the online loan application.
   • In the application, the parent borrower must designate an option for any credit balance once loan funds apply to the student's account
   • If the PLUS Loan application is denied,* indicate that you would like to proceed as "undecided" and the SCSU Financial Aid Office will contact you.
   • If the PLUS Loan application is approved and you wish to borrow the PLUS Loan, complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN) using the directions below (step 3).
3. Approved applications only: Complete the Parent PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN).

*A credit check is required for the PLUS Loan. Parents may also request that our office complete a credit check manually through the U.S. Department of Education. Contact our office to request a credit check form. If a parent is denied a PLUS Loan, the student may be eligible for additional unsubsidized Direct Loan. The Department of Education will send a denial notice to the parent applicant and SCSU Financial Aid Office after the initial PLUS Loan application has been submitted. We will then notify the student of any additional unsubsidized Direct Loan eligibility by sending an e-mail to the student's SCSU Husky e-mail account.

PLUS Loan Application Process (Graduate Students)

1. Contact our office for the Grad PLUS application.
2. Approved applications only: Complete the GRAD PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN).