Financial Aid

Review your federal loan history. Get your loan history by logging in to the National Student Loan Database (NSLDS). You’ll need to create an FSA ID if you don’t already have one. As you review your information, note the following:
- The current loan balance and interest rate for each loan
- The loan type
- The name of the loan servicer for each loan

Get to know your loan servicer. Your servicer helps you with your student loans—for FREE! It’s important that you know who your loan servicer is and how to contact them because you will eventually be making your loan payments to your servicer.
Create an online account on your servicer’s website. You can find the most detailed and up-to-date information about your loans, make your payments, and manage your loans (for example, change repayment plans or apply for a deferment) on your loan servicer’s website. When you create your account, be sure your contact information is correct.
Complete mandatory exit counseling. All federal student loan borrowers must complete exit counseling. Exit counseling provides important information to help you prepare for repayment of your loans.

Know when you must begin making payments. This information can be determined through your servicer.
Create a budget. Create a budget to determine how much you can realistically afford to pay each month toward your student loans. Get help creating your budget here.
Consider loan consolidation. A Direct Consolidation Loan allows you to combine all of your federal student loans into one loan with one monthly payment. Learn more about loan consolidation here.
Set a goal for repayment. After you know what you can afford to pay each month, set a goal for repaying your loans
Select an affordable repayment plan. Now that you’ve set a goal for repayment, you can find a repayment plan that fits your goal by using the Repayment Estimator