Professional Financial Assistance Programs

A federal student loan, made through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, for which eligible students borrow directly from the U.S. Department of Education at participating schools. Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans and Direct Consolidation Loans are types of Direct Loans.

Unsubsidized Direct loans are loans for which the borrower is fully responsible for paying the interest regardless of the loan status. Interest on unsubsidized loans accrues from the date of disbursement and continues throughout the life of the loan. Repayment for this loans begins after graduation or when the student drops below part-time. The student has up to 10 years to repay this loans.

Additional Information:

• Student must be enrolled at least half time (3 credit hours for graduate students)
• Annual limit is $20,500
• Current fixed interest rate is 4.30% as of 7/1/20
• Current origination fee is 1.057% as of 10/1/20 (this fee is deducted up front and thus lowers the actual net amount of each disbursement that appears on your tuition bill)
• Rates may change depending on legislation so please visit the Federal Student Aid Interest website for the most current information
• Lifetime limit is $138,500 for graduate or professional students—No more than $65,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. The graduate aggregate limit includes all federal loans received for undergraduate study.
• Loans are disbursed at the start of each academic term
• If the interest is capitalized (allowed to accumulate) it will be added to the principal amount of the loan and will increase the amount the borrower will have to repay.
• If the choice is made to pay the interest as it accumulates, the total interest charges paid during repayment will be considerably less. Payments would be made directly to your federal loan servicing company. Information on how to contact your specific company is available under the “Manage Loans” menu on the federal website.

To accept, decline or accept part of the federal direct loans you are offered you will need to complete a Federal Direct Student Loan Form. In order to receive funding from the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program, you must go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid to complete Entrance Counseling, sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and complete the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement. All three of these online steps must be completed before funds will be released from the federal loan center. These steps are explained in detail in steps 1, 2 and 3 on our Federal Direct Student Loan Form.

A Federal Direct PLUS loan is a non-need based federal loan program. A loan made by the U.S. Department of Education to credit-worthy graduate or professional students for which the borrower is fully responsible for paying the interest regardless of the loan status. Please refer to the PLUS Loan section of the Federal Student Aid website an Office of the U.S. Department of Education for a more detailed explanation, available at https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/plus

Student Eligibility

* US Citizen or eligible Non-US Citizen
* Not in default on prior educational loans
* Meets federally defined creditworthiness standards
* Enrolled at least half time (3 credit hours for graduate students)

Additional Information

• This loan is not need based.
• You may not borrow more than the cost of attendance per term minus any other financial aid received (such as grants, scholarships, or loans – including Direct Unsubsidized loans). High Point University will determine the actual amount you may borrow.
• Current fixed interest rate of 5.30% as of 7/1/20
• Current origination fee of 4.228% as of 10/1/20 (this fee is deducted up front and thus lowers the actual net amount of each disbursement that appears on your tuition bill)
• Rates may change depending on legislation so please visit the Federal Student Aid Interest website
• Loans are disbursed at the start of each academic term.
• If the interest is capitalized (allowed to accumulate) it will be added to the principal amount of the loan and will increase the amount the borrower will have to repay.
• If the choice is made to pay the interest as it accumulates, the total interest charges paid during repayment will be considerably less. Payments would be made directly to your federal loan servicing company. Once the loan has disbursed you can sign onto the National Student Loan Database online at nslds.ed.gov with your FSA ID.

Repayment Terms

Interest begins to accumulate upon the first disbursement. Repayment begins 60 days after the final disbursement during the academic year in which the loan is disbursed, or you have the option of deferring the loan payments until you graduate, withdraw, or drop below half-time enrollment status. You will be responsible for repaying both the principle and accumulated interest. The maximum repayment period is generally 25 years.

How to apply:
PLEASE NOTE that you must re-apply for a PLUS loan for each academic year. Also the PLUS loan application includes a credit check that is only good for 180 days. So please wait to apply for a PLUS loan until 180 days before the academic term starts.

• Complete FAFSA for the applicable school year
• Go to https://studentaid.gov/app/launchPLUS.action?plusType=gradPlus and click Log In
• Log in using your FSA ID (username & password)
• Once signed in – Click on “Apply for Aid” Menu in top right and choose “Apply for a Grad PLUS Loan”, then click blue “Start” button to proceed
• Complete the application
  • Choose Award Year = 2019-2020 for the Summer 2020 term OR 2020-2021 for the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and/or Summer 2021 terms
  •  Amount
    • If you choose “unknown”, then we will not be able to process your PLUS loan. You will have to sign back in and choose a specific amount or the maximum before the loan can be added to the student’s account.
    • If you choose “maximum”, then you will be awarded up to your current cost of attendance for the date range you provide. You can always email your counselor to adjust the PLUS loan.
    • If you choose a specific amount, please take into account the 4.236% loan origination fee that the federal government will keep off the top.
• Once you have completed the application – Click on “Complete Aid Process” Menu in top right and choose “Complete Master Promissory Note”, then click blue “Start” button next to Graduate PLUS loan
• Complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN) for your PLUS Loan
• If your PLUS Loan is endorsed by a co-signer, then you will be required to complete PLUS Credit Counseling, this is under the “Apply for Aid” Menu at the top of the page
• Once you have completed the application and signed the MPN, HPU will be notified electronically in 48 hours

For more information on these loans please visit https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/plus.

Please Note: An origination fee will be charged on each loan that will be deducted from the loan before disbursement. Also students who are non-degree seeking or who are seeking teacher certification after graduation are only eligible for alternative loans in most cases.

Options if Denied Based on Credit

The Direct Loan Origination Center will notify the borrower Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan credit check is denied. The HPU Student Financial Planning Office does not provide notice if your credit check was denied. If the credit check is denied, these are your options:

1. Request a review of the credit check due to inaccurate information on the credit report by contacting the Direct Loan Origination Center at 1-800-557-7394
2. You can obtain an endorser’s signature. Your endorser must also pass a credit check. Additional information is available by contacting the Direct Loan Origination Center at 1-800-557-7394

If your financial assistance package does not cover your expenses, you have the option of applying for an alternative or private (nonfederal) student loan. Some private lenders offer credit-based loan programs to creditworthy students and/or students with creditworthy cosigners. Interest rates, loan fees and other specifics of such loans should be carefully evaluated. Before pursuing private alternative loans, students and parents should ALWAYS pursue Federal loans first; if additional funding is needed, students should consider a Federal PLUS Loan or the tuition payment plan before pursuing alternative loans.

If students decide to use private alternative loans, they must apply for these loans in enough time for them to use the funds to pay the High Point University charges by the due date. Private alternative loan lenders will require a creditworthy cosigner. This can be a spouse, parent, another adult relative, or other person who meets the lender’s requirements for the loan. A cosigner will be responsible for the loan if the student does not pay it back. Students who apply for a private alternative loan must complete a Self-Certification Form and submit it to the lender prior to loan approval.

The Office of Student Financial Planning will assist families in understanding and pursuing this lending avenue but cannot be responsible for the actual application. Below are several common private lending options utilized by High Point University students and families. Utilize the link provided to find out specific information and complete an on-line application if interested.

Because of the uncertainty of the current credit markets and the inability of certain lenders to secure private alternative loan funding, the pool of lenders willing and able to make private alternative loans is shrinking.

In order to consider a private alternative loan as payment toward the Student Accounts bill, the student must have received final approval from the lender.  Processing time varies from lender to lender, but the average approval time is two to four weeks if everything is submitted in a timely manner.  Be sure to allow enough time for processing.

Please refer to our Code of Conduct regarding Educational Loans.

Click below to easily compare and apply for Alternative Loans:

Forgivable Education Loan for Service (FELS) Program

Established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2011, the FELS program provides financial assistance to qualified students enrolled in an approved education program and committed to working in critical employment shortage professions in North Carolina.  The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority provides administration for the program. At High Point University eligible degree programs include the Doctorate in Pharmacy, the Doctorate in Physical Therapy and the Master of Physician Assistant Studies.

Eligibility:
A recipient must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for FELS:

• Be a legal North Carolina resident and NC resident for tuition purposes
  • You must complete the questionnaire on the Residency Determination System (RDS) website for the State of North Carolina at ncresidency.cfnc.org/residencyInfo/home.The RDS will ask you to provide your social security number as an identifier to be able to verify information with federal and state agencies to determine residency status. You will also be asked to provide residence information, federal and state tax return information, vehicle registration and driver’s license information. Once you start the RDS interview you will have 25 days to complete the interview, otherwise it will be cancelled and you will have to start again. Once the interview is complete the system will immediately let you know whether or not you have NC residency status. You will also receive a Residency Certification Number (RCN) that is a unique 10 digit identifier that serves as proof that you have completed residency determination. Once you have a determination made through the RDS website, it will last as long as you remain continuously enrolled at High Point University.
• At the time of application, present a cumulative minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 for students pursuing a graduate or professional degree
• Register with Selective Service System, if required
• Recipients must not be in default , or does not owe a refund, under any federal or state loan or grant program

Value:

• Master’s degree programs can receive up to $10,000 annually (which is awarded half in the Fall term and half in the Spring term) with a maximum aggregate limit of $20,000.
• Doctoral degree programs can receive up to $14,000 annually (which is awarded half in the Fall term and half in the Spring term) with a maximum aggregate limit of $56,000.

Recipients must sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the loan by working in an approved position in North Carolina in their approved field of study. One loan will be forgiven for one year of full-time employment in a qualified position OR one loan will be forgiven for two years of part-time employment in a qualified position. Applications and all additional information are available online at www.CFNC.org/FELS. Please note that the application opens the first Monday in December and the deadline is March 1st each year. Applications will be entered into a lottery for award consideration.

National Health Service Corps Scholarship

This opportunity is available to accepted Physician Assistant students.

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship is a competitive program that pays tuition & fees, provides a monthly living stipend and pays a lump sum amount for books to students enrolled in an accredited medical (MD or DO), dental, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, and physician assistant training programs. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients serve as primary care providers between 2 and 4 years in a community-based site in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) that has applied to and been approved by the NHSC as a service site. Awards are made to applicants most committed to serving under-served people, most likely to build successful careers in HPSAs, and meet future needs for care throughout the nation. Application instructions can be found at the NHSC website nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarships

Note: Candidates must be accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a program on or before September 30 in order to apply for the scholarship. Because the High Point University PA program enrolls in June, our students are eligible to apply during their first year of enrollment. For example, a HPU PA student could apply as early as March of their first year and if awarded the scholarship begin receiving funding for July of their first year. Students will not actually receive funding until the beginning of November during the first year. Please reach out to the Office of Financial Planning for more information about how this program will effect your financial aid awarding process.

Students may not participate in both the FELS and NHSC programs as both have a service commitment