Federal Direct Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling

All students who are borrowing a Federal Direct Stafford Loan for the first time from Virginia Tech must complete an online Entrance Counseling Session before any Federal Direct Stafford Loan funds will be disbursed. Our office will receive notification three to five days after you complete the Entrance Counseling Session online.

The purpose of the Entrance Counseling session is to provide you (the borrower) with your rights and responsibilities before you borrow a Federal Direct Stafford Loan. It will cover the importance of repayment, the consequences of default, the use of the Master Promissory Note, and provide sample monthly repayment amounts. More information can be found on the Entrance Counseling Guide for Direct Loan Borrowers.

Access to the Entrance Counseling session is online through the Department of Education Website. Entrance Counseling is in the form of an on-line session that you (the borrower) must read and answer several true/false question. To begin choose the link, "Click here to Begin the Entrance Counseling Tutorial and Quiz." Once you have completed the tutorial and quiz, return back to the home page and choose the option that says, "Click Here to Review Results from Previous Entrance Counseling Quiz or Add Additional Schools that Should Receive Your Entrance Counseling Results." You will be prompted to enter your Federal PIN, your full name, your Social Security Number, and your birth date as identifying information.

Federal Direct Stafford Loan Exit Counseling

If you received a Federal Direct Loan at Virginia Tech and...

• you have withdrawn from all classes at Virginia Tech.....
• you have dropped below half-time status at Virginia Tech.....
• or, you are graduating from Virginia Tech....

You are required to complete a Direct Stafford Loan Exit Counseling session. 

You will receive email notification if you need to complete the online Exit Counseling Session. To access the Exit Counseling Session, you will need your FAFSA PIN number. During the session you will need to provide your expected permanent address, the phone number of two family members, and the name and address of your expected employer (if known).

This Exit Counseling session will provide you with your rights and responsibilities as you start to repay your Federal Direct Stafford Loan and will cover the importance of repaying your loan, your repayment options, deferment and forbearance, and reasons for loan cancellation. More information can be found in the Exit Counseling Guide for Direct Loan Borrowers.

Federal Student Aid Ombudsman

Once you enter repayment and you have a problem regarding your federal education loan and other reasonable efforts have failed, we recommend you try contacting the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman. This Ombudsman office managed by the U.S. Department of Education may be able to:

• Propose solutions to discrepancies in loan balances and payments,
• Clarify interest and collection charges,
• Clarify financial aid requirements,
• Find loan holders,
• Rehabilitate loans by establishing satisfactory repayment plans,
• Reestablish eligibility for Federal Aid,
• Find promissory notes,
• Defer or discharge loans,
• Resolve issues related to income tax refund offsets, default status, consolidations, or bankruptcies,
• Service quality, and any other customer concerns.

You can contact the U.S. Department of Education's Ombudsman at:

Address:

Office of Ombudsman
Student Financial Assistance
Room 3012, ROB #3
7th & D Streets, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202

Phone: 1-877-557-2575

Web Site: www.ombudsman.ed.gov