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Types of Loans | Plus Loans | Loans for Service | Student Loan Eligibility | Borrowing Limits |
Applying for Student Loans | Disbursement | Interest Rates | Repayment | Default

In accordance with our default prevention management plan, SFCC has implemented the following requirements for student loan borrowers.

  • Students applying for a student loan must have all previous college transcripts in the Registrar’s Office before submitting the loan application. Evaluation of transcripts may change loan eligibility if a student has not completed the last two semesters at a previous institution.
  • Students must be registered in college-level coursework from their current primary declared degree program to be eligible for student loans. PHED and developmental coursework will not count towards student loan eligibility.
  • Students must complete the loan information session with the Loan Coordinator.
  • Fall-only loans will be granted to students graduating at the end of the fall semester and spring-only student loans will be granted to students graduating at the end of spring, or students that are not attending summer classes.

Introduction

As a result of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, beginning July 1, 2010, federal student loans will no longer be made by private lenders under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. Instead, all new federal student loans will come directly from the U.S. Department of Education under the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program.

This change does not impact the process of applying for federal grants, loans and work-study or the amount of federal aid that students are eligible to receive. Students interested in receiving federal student aid should continue to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each school year that they wish to be considered for aid.

In accordance with U.S. Department of Education regulations (HEOA 489 amended HEA Sec.485B), Santa Fe Community College and the Office of Financial Aid Services acknowledges to students and parents that when the student enters into an agreement regarding a Title IV(HEA) loan, i.e.: Direct Stafford Loan and Direct Parent PLUS Loan, that the loan will be submitted to NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System) and accessible by authorized agencies, lenders, and institutions.

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TYPES OF LOANS

The types of Direct Loans are subsidized, unsubsidized, PLUS (parent) loans and Direct Consolidation loans. At SFCC, we work primarily with Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized loans. Detailed information on all of these loans can be found at the following website: http://www.direct.ed.gov/student.html.

Direct Subsidized Loans:

Subsidized loans are for students with demonstrated financial need as determined by federal regulations. Interest is not charged while you are in school at least half time (6 credit hours) and during deferment periods. The federal government will pay (subsidize) the interest for you during these periods.

Direct Unsubsidized Loans:

Unsubsidized loans are not based on financial need. Interest is charged during all loan periods.

You have the choice to pay the interest on these loans while you are in school, or you can defer the interest payment until the loan enters the repayment period. Deferred interest is capitalized when the loan enters the repayment period.

Capitalization means that the unpaid interest on the loan is added to the principal balance. Capitalization increases the principal amount of the loan and its total cost. Generally, SFCC encourages the student to pay the interest on unsubsidized loans to minimize the increased costs of these loans.

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PARENT PLUS LOANS – Parent loans for students

Direct Plus loans are unsubsidized loans for the parents of dependent students and for graduate/professional students. PLUS loans help pay for education expenses up to the cost of attendance minus all other financial assistance. Detailed information regarding Direct PLUS loans can be found at the following website: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/ 

More Parent Plus Loan Information

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LOANS FOR SERVICE FROM THE HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The New Mexico Higher Education Department offers several loan forgiveness programs for professions that are in high demand, especially in New Mexico rural communities. A complete list of the loans for service programs from the HED can be found at http://www.hed.state.nm.us/programs/. Of particular interest to Santa Fe Community College students are the Nursing Loans for Service and the Teacher Loans for Service programs.

More Loans for Service information

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STUDENT LOAN ELIGIBILITY

To qualify for student loans, the student must meet the following requirements:

  • Have a current FAFSA with the Financial Aid Office
  • Have all previous college transcripts in the Registrar’s Office
  • A complete financial aid file
  • Be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours of college level coursework from primary declared degree program
  • Have a major declared in and AA or AAS degree program
  • Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Not be in default for any federal student loan or in overpayment for the Pell Grant
  • Not exceed Undergraduate Maximum Aggregate borrowing limit for student loans
  • Have a completed Student Loan Application (https://www.sfcc.edu/financial_aid)
  • Have a completed Master Promissory Note (https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action)
  • Have completed Undergraduate Entrance Loan Counseling (https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action)
  • Meet with the Financial Aid Loan Coordinator for loan information session

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BORROWING LIMITS

The amount that you can borrow depends upon several factors:

  • Dependency Status
  • Class Standing
  • Borrowing History
  • Calculated EFC (Estimated Family Contribution)
  • Unmet need

Dependency Status

The Department of Education deems a student independent if any of the following criteria apply:

  • A student at least 24 years old
  • Married
  • A Graduate or Professional student
  • A veteran or on active duty for the military
  • An orphan
  • A ward of the court
  • One who has legal dependents other than a spouse
  • Supporting their children
  • An emancipated minor
  • In legal guardianship
  • An unaccompanied youth by school or by HUD
  • At risk of homelessness

If any of these apply, the student needs to be capable of demonstrating his/her circumstances. If none of these apply, a student is dependent.

Class Standing

Your subsidized loan eligibility depends upon whether you are in freshman or sophomore standing at SFCC.

You are a freshman if you have completed less than 33 credit hours, including transfer credits, audited classes, and developmental coursework.

You are a sophomore if you have completed 33 college level credit hours or more. This excludes audited, pass/fail, and developmental courses.

Please refer to the grid below for the maximum amounts you may borrow each academic year.

Student Status Direct Subsidized Direct Unsubsidized Total for the academic year
Freshman/Dependent $3,500 $2,000 $5,500
Freshman/Independent $3,500 $6,000 $9,500
Sophomore/Dependent $4,500 $2,000 $6,500
Sophomore/Independent $4,500 $6,000 $10,500

Please note; these are the maximum amounts available each academic year. The amount you actually receive may be less.

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APPLYING FOR STUDENT LOANS

The first step to apply for student loans is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Once your FAFSA is complete and your financial aid is packaged, complete Undergraduate Entrance Loan Counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for Direct Loans at the following website: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action

Finally, you will need to complete the Santa Fe Community College loan application. This will help us determine how much you want to borrow as well as your eligibility. Please remember to request only the amount of money that you wish to borrow. You will be required to pay this money back with interest!

Complete the SFCC Loan Application Here: https://w3.sfcc.edu/forms/loan/apply.ef8d92. Log in with your MySFCC account information to access the application.

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DISBURSEMENT

  1. SFCC will disburse your loan in two equal installments, generally, one in the fall term and one in the spring.
  2. Your loan money must first be used to pay for any balance owed to SFCC, such as tuition, fees and textbooks. If loan funds remain, you will receive them by check or direct deposit (depending on your instruction) on our regularly scheduled disbursement days along with any other aid you may be receiving.
  3. Loans that cover one term will only be disbursed in two equal amounts. In this case, you will receive your second check shortly after midterm.
  4. Your student loan will not disburse until you are attending 6 credit hours. If you are enrolled in late starting classes, your disbursement may be delayed.

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INTEREST RATES AND ORIGINATION FEES

Link to Rates and Fees Information

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REPAYMENT

Repayment on your student loans begins when you:

  • Graduate
  • Leave school
  • Drop below half-time enrollment

You have a six month grace period before repayment begins. During the grace period on subsidized loans, you do not accrue interest and you do not have to make payments.

During the grace period on unsubsidized loans, you do accrue interest. If you have chosen to pay the interest as you go on your unsubsidized loans, you will continue to make the interest payment during your grace period. After your grace period, you will make principal and interest payments.

If you choose to defer the interest payments on your unsubsidized loans, interest will continue to accrue during the grace period and will be capitalized at the end of the grace period. You will not be required to make payments during the grace period.

More detailed information regarding direct student loan repayment can be found at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/understand/plans or http://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/repay-student-debt/#Question-1.

Once your loans are established the Department of Education may sell your loan to a loan servicer. If or when your loan is sold, the loan servicer should contact you. If you are not contacted you may determine who your loan servicer is through the National Student Loan Database, https://nslds.ed.gov/nslds/nslds_SA/.

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DEFAULT

If you default, it means you failed to make payments on your student loan according to the terms of your promissory note, the binding legal document you signed at the time you took out your loan. In other words, you failed to make your loan payments as scheduled.

Your school, the financial institution that made or owns your loan, your loan guarantor, and the federal government all can take action to recover the money you owe. Here are some consequences of default:

  • National credit bureaus can be notified of your default, which will harm your credit rating, making it hard to buy a car or a house
  • You would be ineligible for additional federal student aid if you decided to return to school
  • Loan payments can be deducted from your paycheck
  • State and federal income tax refunds can be withheld and applied toward the amount you owe
  • You will have to pay late fees and collection costs on top of what you already owe
  • You can be sued

For more information and to learn what actions to take if you default on your loans see the Department of Education’s Default Resolution Group website: http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/index.html.

To E-mail Financial Aid:

Federal regulations require that all financial aid inquiries come from your school e-mail address. Please e-mail all financial aid questions from your SFCC email account.
Log into MySFCC, access email account in applications, and create a new email using “financialaid@sfcc.edu” in the address bar.

For more information please contact the Financial Aid office, 505-428-1268.

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