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Welcome to the Office of Financial Aid Debt Management Resource Page
This page is intended to help you understand and track your student loan debt, resolve issues with default and over-borrowing, review student loan repayment options, and develop an understanding of financial literacy. We want every MSU student to succeed throughout their college and professional career. This success is directly impacted by your ability to responsibly manage your student loan debt.
Thinking of Borrowing? Know Your Loan Limits.
It’s important to remember that regardless of the financial cost of your education, there are annual and aggregate Federal Direct Loan limits for undergraduate and graduate students.
Please refer to the following chart outlining the annual and aggregate Federal Direct Loan Limits:
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Annual Loan Limits for Dependent Student
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Grade Level by Credits
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Combined Base Limit For Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
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Additional Limit for Unsubsidized Loans
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Total
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Freshman (0-29)
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$3,500
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$2,000
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$5,500
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Sophomore (30-59)
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$4,500
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$2,000
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$6,500
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Junior/Senior (60+)
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$5,500
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$2,000
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$7,500
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Annual Loan Limits for Independent Students
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Grade Level by Credits
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Combined Base Limit For Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
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Additional Limit for Unsubsidized Loans
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Total
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Freshman (0-29)
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$3,500
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$6,000
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$9,500
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Sophomore (30-59)
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$4,500
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$6,000
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$10,500
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Junior/Senior (60+)
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$5,500
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$7,000
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$12,500
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Teacher Certification
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$5,500
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$7,000
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$12,500
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Annual Loan Limits for Graduate and Professional Students
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Graduate
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N/A
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N/A
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$20,500 (Unsubsidized loan only)
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| Lifetime Maximum Loan Limits | ||
| Dependent students: | Maximum SUB $23,000 | $31,000 Total |
| Independent Students: | Maximum SUB $23,000 | $57,500 Total |
| Graduate | Maximum SUB $65,500** | $138,500 Total |
**As of July 1, 2012 graduate students are only eligible for unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS loans.
Note: If you indicated on your FAFSA that you will be a graduate student, you will need to submit the GRADMT form to the Office of Financial Aid so we may award your Federal Direct Loans according to the graduate level aggregate limits. This form may be downloaded and printed at our Forms page.
Don’t over-borrow
Over-borrowing or going into EXCESS of your aggregate loan limits will prevent you from receiving any Federal Student Aid! In order to regain financial aid eligibility, you must make satisfactory arrangements with your loan holder and turn in the appropriate documentation to our office. Acceptable documentation may include but is not limited to:
-Payment confirmation from your loan servicer that you have paid the excess amount
-Loan Summary Sheet from Direct Loans confirming you have consolidated all loans that were in excess
To review your loan amounts and determine your loan holder, you must log in by visiting www.studentaid.gov
Transfer Student? Know your loan limits
As a transfer student, it is your responsibility to know your annual loan limits for Federal Direct Loans and have all pending disbursements cancelled at your previous school before transferring to MSU Denver. This ensures a more accurate award package.
Before accepting a Federal Direct Loan at MSU Denver, you must inform the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships of any disbursements you received at another school during the academic year. Failure to notify our office of any loans you received at another school during the year can result in your existing loans being reduced and billed in order to keep within the annual loan limits. This could result in a balance owed (by you) to MSU Denver.
To avoid being over-awarded at MSU Denver, please follow these simple steps:
- Cancel any pending financial aid disbursements at your previous school before transferring
- Download an Overlapping Loan Clearance Letter (OVERLP) on our Forms page and have it filled out by a financial aid administrator at your previous school.
- If you are unable to get the OVERLP form filled out by your previous school, have your financial aid administrator email our office at [email protected] to confirm how much aid you received and that all pending disbursements are cancelled.
Note: Your previous school may also contact us directly by looking up our contact info on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
Graduation & Proration
Per Federal regulations, MSU Denver must prorate the loan amounts of graduating seniors who are attending only one semester of an academic year.
Proration limits the amount of subsidized and/or unsubsidized loans a graduating senior can borrow.
Teacher Licensure students who are student teaching in their final semester are not subject to proration of
Federal Direct Loans; however, their budgets will be changed to a single term.
The total of all awarded aid cannot exceed a student’s assigned budget.
| Loan Proration Limits Chart
INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT
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Repayment Options
Know Your Repayment Options: Calculators and Payment Plans
As a Federal Stafford Loan borrower, you should plan to budget at least 8% of your total monthly income after graduation to be paid towards your student loan debt. Therefore, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the various repayment plans available: standard, extended, graduated, income contingent and income-based. How much you pay and how long you take to repay your loans will vary depending on the repayment plan you choose. Consolidation loans also have varying repayment plans.
To get an idea of your monthly loan payments after you graduate, refer to the online repayment calculator that applies to the repayment plan you are considering.
Payment Plans
You can pick from repayment plans that base your monthly payment on your income or plans that give you a fixed monthly payment.
Repayment plans based on your income are a smart choice to lower your payment. The lower your income—or the larger your family size—the less you’ll pay each month.
If you don’t pick a repayment plan, your loan servicer will place you on the Standard Repayment Plan (a 10-year fixed payment repayment plan). This plan might result in a higher monthly payment for you.
To learn more about student loan repayment plans, visit the federal student aid website.
If students have private loans on top of their federal loans, it can become a lot to manage between the various different loan servicers. Loan consolidation is NOT the best option for everyone, however you can click below for more information & to determine if it may be a good option for you.
Consolidation Loans – This option allows you to combine your loans into a single Direct Consolidation Loan, which simplifies repayment and allows you to extend the repayment period. Keep in mind that while your monthly payments may be lower, you may pay more interest over the life of the Direct Consolidation Loan. To determine which of your loans may be eligible for a consolidation, visit the Direct Loan Consolidation website.
Avoiding Default
If you are late on any monthly payment, your loan is considered delinquent and your loan servicer will send you a reminder that your payment is late. Keep in mind that you are responsible for ensuring your loan servicer has your most up-to-date address on file. If you become 270 days delinquent in making your loan payments you will go into DEFAULT.
Consequences of going into default are as follows:
- The entire unpaid amount of your loan becomes due immediately.
- You will lose eligibility for any federal student aid and most other federal benefit programs.
- Your loan servicer will report your default to national credit bureaus which will lower your credit score. This will then result in higher interest rates on future loans you may take out, meaning you would pay back a much higher amount on the loan when it goes into repayment.
- Your loan servicer may sue you, garnish all or part of your federal and state tax refunds and other federal or state payments, and/or garnish your wages so that your employer is required to send your loan servicer part of your salary to pay off your loan.
- You will have to pay reasonable collection fees and costs, plus any court cost and attorney fees.
- You will no longer be eligible for any loan deferments.
If you are having trouble repaying your loans, contact your loan servicer! In most cases, your loan servicer will work with you to help determine the best option for you. Options include:
- Changing repayment plans – You loan servicer will determine if this option is applicable.
- Deferment – This option allows you to temporarily stop making payments on your loan.
- Forbearance – This option allows you to temporarily stop making payments on your loan, temporarily make smaller payments, or extend the time for making payments. If you don’t meet the eligibility requirements for a deferment but are temporarily unable to make your loan payments such as during an illness, you may qualify for forbearance.
In order to get out of default and restore your eligibility to receive federal student aid, you will need to Contact your loan servicer immediately. If you are unsure who your loan servicer is, you may need to log in to Federal Student Aid. Keep in mind that if you have several defaulted loans with different loan servicers, you will need to contact each servicer individually.
After contacting your loan servicer your options will be as follows:
- Repay or satisfy the loans in full. This will allow you to obtain a paid in full letter from your loan servicer.
- Make six consecutive on-time monthly payments. The monthly payment amount will be determined by your loan servicer. After your sixth on time payment you will be eligible for a reinstatement letter that will restore your eligibility to receive financial aid. A reinstatement may only be granted once by your loan servicer.
- Consolidate your defaulted loans. You will need to contact the Direct Loan Consolidation Center to see if your defaulted student loans can be consolidated. Once your loans are consolidated by Direct Loans, you will receive a Loan Summary sheet that must be forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid.
- Rehabilitate your loans through your loan servicer’s loan rehabilitation program. Advantages of rehabilitation include:
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- Your loans will no longer be considered to be in a default status.
- The default status reported by your loan holder to the national credit bureaus will be deleted.
- You will be eligible for the same benefits that were available on the loans before the loans defaulted. This may include deferment, forbearance, and Title IV eligibility.
- Wage garnishment ends and the Internal Revenue Service no longer withholds your income tax refund.
To learn more about loan rehabilitation please visit the Getting Out of Default page.
Once your loans are officially out of default status, you must submit documentation from your loan servicer to the Office of Financial Aid in order for your financial aid eligibility to be restored. Keep in mind that any incomplete or insufficient documentation will hold up your financial aid file.
| MSU Denver Cohort Default Rate Statistics |
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| Cohort Fiscal Year | Official Default Rate | Number of Borrowers in Default | Number of Borrowers in Repayment | Enrollment Figures | Percentage Calculation |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 4,465 | N/A | N/A |
| 2020 | 0 | 1 | 4,828 | 24,571 | 19.65% |
| 2019 | 2.8 | 126 | 4,492 | 24,781 | 18.13% |
*The fiscal year 2020 national cohort default rate is 0 percent.
Resources
Entrance Counseling:
Federal Student Aid
1-800-433-3243
https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling/
Master Promissory Notes:
Federal Student Aid
1-800-433-3243
https://studentaid.gov/mpn/
For everything you need to know about Direct Consolidation Loans, including an online application:
Direct Loan Consolidation Center
1-800-433-3243
Loan Consolidation
To set up payments on defaulted student loans that have been turned over to the Department of Education:
(Contact your servicer)
Getting Out of Debt
The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program (Colorado Residents only) was created to encourage individuals to enter and continue in the teaching profession. For more information visit the Loan forgiveness programs for teachers Colorado website.
The Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF, Federal Program) was created to encourage individuals to enter and continue in the public sector. For more information visit the PSLF website.