
Here’s how to obtain a federal student loan.
1. Complete a FAFSA
Before you begin applying for a Stafford and/or PLUS Loan,
you must first complete the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA). It must be completed for each academic
year that you request federal aid. FAFSAs for the upcoming
academic year are available online
on or after January 2. Contact your school for their application
deadline.
2. Receive your SAR
Once your FAFSA is processed, a Student Aid Report (SAR)
is created. If you completed your FAFSA online, allow 1-2
weeks for you and your school to receive the SAR electronically.
Paper FAFSAs take 6-8 weeks to process.
3. Receive your Award Letter
Your school(s) use data from your SAR to determine your
financial aid award for the current academic year and send
you an award letter by e-mail or US Mail. (If your letter
mentions the William D. Ford Direct Lending Program,
contact your school for the appropriate promissory note.)
4. Complete a Stafford Master Promissory Note
Complete and print the Stafford
Master Promissory Note (MPN) to get your loan at KONE
Employees Credit Union. While you must complete the FASFA
process to apply for aid each academic year, this Master
Promissory Note will be used by the credit union to process
all of your loans over multiple academic years at the same
school. Be sure to indicate your FULL school name (no abbreviations)
and school code (if known), city and state in the upper
right-hand corner of the Master Promissory Note. Return
it to the address below so we can complete the processing
for you.
Great Lakes
P.O. Box 7987
Madison, WI 53707-7987
5. If Needed, Complete a PLUS Master Promissory
Note
Parents can complete and print the PLUS
Loan Master Promissory Note online. The Plus Loan Master
Promissory Note will be used for all of your loans over
multiple academic years at the same school. Be sure to indicate
your child’s school name (no abbreviations) and school
code (if known), city and state in the upper right hand
corner of the Master Promissory Note. Return it to the address
below so we can complete the processing for you.
Great Lakes
P.O. Box 7987
Madison, WI 53707-7987
6. Your School will Receive the Funds
Both Stafford and PLUS Loans are guaranteed and serviced
by Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. (Great Lakes).
When Great Lakes receives the Master Promissory Note from
the credit union and School Certification Form from the
school indicating the loan amount and disbursement dates,
funds will be sent to the school.
7. Access Your Loan Account Online
You can check the status of your loan, view your account
information and make payments from your bank account 24/7
at www.mygreatlakes.com.
After you log in, choose My Loans, then Internet Borrower
Inquiry Service to get started. This site offers a variety
of tools for calculating the cost of your loan. It’s
your resource to forms, a glossary of financial aid terms,
contact information, and lots of other information to help
you manage your loans.
8. Call These Toll-free Numbers for Loan Inquiries
- Contact BEFORE your loan is disbursed
to the school:
Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. at 1-800-236-6600
- Contact AFTER your loan is disbursed
to the school:
Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. at 1-800-236-4300
After graduation, consider consolidating
your student loans.
After you graduate lock into a low fixed rate by consolidating
your student loans, even if you only have one. Find out
more about Consolidating your
Student Loans.
Manage your finances.
KONE Employees Credit Union and Great Lakes are committed
to helping students learn to manage their finances. The
regularly updated Personal
Financial Management Resources provides information
on anticipating college costs and staying in control of
your finances while in school.
Plan your future. Visit these Web sites.
- www.mapping-your-future.org - Detailed information about career planning, selecting a school, and paying for college.
- www.studentaid.ed.gov - Detailed student aid and student loan information from the U.S. Department of Education.
- www.fastweb.com - Scholarship information.
- www.fafsa.ed.gov - Online application for financial aid (FAFSA).
- www.pin.ed.gov - Apply for a PIN number to complete online FAFSA.
- www.mygreatlakes.com - Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. is the guaranty agency for your student loans. You can check the status of your student loans here.
- www.nslds.ed.gov - View the history of the federal student financial aid you have received.
- www.loanlocator.org - Helps you keep track of your loans if you have more than one loan servicer. This site is useful when consolidating student loans.
Need help?
For help with the student loan process, call the credit
union at 309-743-5482 or e-mail
.
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