IMPORTANT NOTICE

This Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement provides additional information about the terms and conditions of the loans you receive under the accompanying Master Promissory Note (MPN) for Direct PLUS Loans. Please keep this Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement for your records. You may request another copy of this Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement at any time by contacting your servicer.
Throughout this Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement, the words "we," "us," and "our" refer to the U.S. Department of Education. The word "loan" refers to one or more loans made under the accompanying MPN.

Note to Endorser:
An endorser is someone who agrees to repay a Direct PLUS Loan if the borrower does not repay the loan. If you are the endorser of a Direct PLUS Loan, you are not entitled to all of the same benefits as a Direct PLUS Loan borrower, and not all of the terms and conditions of a Direct PLUS Loan apply to you. However, you should read the entire Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement. We have highlighted important information that applies to you as an endorser.

1. THE WILLIAM D. FORD FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM.

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program includes the following types of loans, known collectively as "Direct Loans":

• Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans (Direct Subsidized Loans)
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans (Direct Unsubsidized Loans)
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans (Direct PLUS Loans)
• Federal Direct Consolidation Loans (Direct Consolidation Loans)

The Direct Loan Program is authorized by Title IV, Part D, of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq (HEA).

Direct Loans are made by the U.S. Department of Education. We contract with servicers to service, answer questions about, and process payments on Direct Loans. We will provide you with the address and telephone number of your servicer after the school notifies us that the first disbursement of your loan has been made.

2. LAWS THAT APPLY TO THIS MPN.

The terms and conditions of loans made under this MPN are determined by the HEA and other applicable federal laws and regulations. These laws and regulations are referred to as "the Act" throughout this Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement. Under applicable state law, excepted as preempted by federal law, you may have certain borrower rights, remedies, and defenses in addition to those stated in the MPN and this Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities Statement.

NOTE: Any amendment to the Act that affects the terms of this MPN will be applied to your loans in accordance with the effective date of the amendment.

3. DIRECT PLUS LOANS.

Direct PLUS Loans are loans made to graduate or professional students or to parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for the cost of education beyond high school. ("Dependent" is defined in the Act and is different from the definition used by the Internal Revenue Service.) To be eligible for a Direct PLUS Loan:

• You must be a graduate or professional student or the biological or adoptive parent of the dependent undergraduate student for whom you are borrowing. If you are the spouse of the dependent undergraduate student's parent (the student's stepparent), you may borrow a Direct PLUS Loan if you are considered to be a parent in accordance with the instructions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) for purposes of reporting your income and assets on the FAFSA^®.
• You, and if you are a parent borrower your child, must be a U.S. citizen or national, a permanent resident of the United States, or an otherwise eligible non-citizen.
• You, and if you are a parent borrower your child, must not be in default on a federal education loan or owe an overpayment on a federal education grant, and must not have been convicted of, or have pled nolo contendere (no contest) or guilty to, a crime involving fraud in obtaining funds under the Act.
• You must not have an adverse credit history (unless you meet certain other requirements - see below).
• You, or if you are a parent borrower your child, must be enrolled at least half-time at a school that participates in the Direct PLUS Loan Program.

We will check your credit history each time you request a Direct PLUS Loan. If you have an adverse credit history, you may not borrow a Direct PLUS Loan unless you:

(1) Obtain an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history, or document to our satisfaction that there are extenuating circumstances related to the adverse credit history, and

(2) Complete Direct PLUS Loan counseling that we provide.

An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the Direct PLUS Loan if you do not do so. If you are a parent borrower, the endorser of a Direct PLUS Loan may not be the student for whom you are borrowing the loan.

If you are a graduate or professional student, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) and your school must determine your eligibility for the maximum annual Direct Subsidized Loan and Direct Unsubsidized Loan amounts before you apply for a Direct PLUS Loan.

If you have questions about your eligibility for a Direct PLUS Loan, contact the financial aid office at the school you attend or are planning to attend or, if you are a parent borrower, the school the student attends or is planning to attend.

You may receive more than one loan under this MPN over a period of up to 10 years to pay for your educational costs (if you are a graduate or professional student borrower) or for the educational costs of the student identified in in the Dependent Undergraduate Student Information section of the MPN (if you are a parent borrower), as long as the school is authorized to use the multi-year feature of the MPN and chooses to do so.

If the school is not authorized to use the multi-year feature of the MPN or chooses not to do so, or if you do not want to receive more than one loan under this MPN, you must sign a new MPN for each loan that you receive. If you do not want to receive more than one loan under this MPN, you must notify the school or your servicer in writing.

If you are a parent requesting more than one Direct PLUS Loan to pay for the educational costs of more than one dependent undergraduate student, you must sign a separate MPN for each student. You must also sign separate MPNs if you are a parent borrowing on behalf of a dependent undergraduate student and you also wish to obtain a Direct PLUS Loan to pay for your own attendance in a graduate or professional degree program.

If we determine that you have an adverse credit history and you obtain an endorser (see Item 3, "Direct PLUS Loans"), you may receive only one loan under this MPN. If you later want to receive another Direct PLUS Loan, you must sign a new MPN. If you receive a loan under this MPN without an endorser, but are later determined to have an adverse credit history and obtain an endorser for a future Direct PLUS Loan, you will have to sign a new MPN for that loan.

5. Direct PLUS Loans and eligibility for other financial aid.

If you borrow a Direct PLUS Loan, this may affect your eligibility for other financial aid. Therefore, we suggest that you contact the school's financial aid office to determine eligibility for grants, work-study funds, or other forms of federal, state and private student aid that do not have to be repaid before you apply for a Direct PLUS Loan.

6. Use of your loan money.

You may use the loan money you receive only to pay for your authorized educational expenses or, if you are a parent borrower, for the student's authorized educational expenses for attendance at the school that determined you were eligible to receive the loan. Authorized expenses include the following:

• Tuition
• Room
• Board
• Institutional fees
• Books
• Supplies
• Equipment
• Dependent child care expenses
• Transportation
• Commuting expenses
• Rental or purchase of a personal computer
• Loan fees
• Other documented, authorized costs

7. INFORMATION YOU MUST REPORT TO US AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR LOAN.

You must notify your servicer and/or the financial aid office at the school about certain changes.

Until you or (if you are a parent borrower) the student graduate or otherwise leave school, you must notify the school's financial aid office if:

• You change your address or telephone number;
• You change your name (for example, maiden name to married name);
• You or (if you are a parent borrower) the student --
  • Do not enroll at least half-time for the loan period certified by the school, or
  • Do not enroll at the school that determined you were eligible to receive the loan;
• You or (if you are a parent borrower) the student stop attending school or drop below half-time enrollment;
• You or (if you are a parent borrower) the student transfer from one school to another school; or
• You or (if you are a parent borrower) the student graduate.

You must also notify your servicer if any of the above events occur at any time after you receive your loan. In addition, you must notify your servicer if you:

• Change your employer, or your employer's address or telephone number changes; or
• Have any other change in status that would affect your loan (for example, if you receive a deferment while you are unemployed, but you find a job and therefore no longer meet the eligibility requirements for the deferment).

Note to Endorser: You must notify your servicer if you change your address, telephone number, name, or employer, or if your employer's address or telephone number changes.

8. AMOUNT YOU MAY BORROW.

For each academic year, you may borrow up to - but not more than - the amount of your estimated cost of attendance (if you are a graduate or professional student borrower) or the student's estimated cost of attendance (if you are a parent borrower), minus the amount of any other financial aid received for that academic year. The school determines the cost of attendance using federal guidelines. It is important not to borrow more than you can afford to repay, even if you are eligible to borrow more.

9. INTEREST RATE.

The interest rate on a Direct PLUS Loan is a fixed rate that is calculated in accordance with a formula specified in the Act. The interest rate is calculated each year. When the rate is calculated, it applies to all Direct PLUS Loans for which the first disbursement is made during the period beginning on July 1 of one year and ending on June 30 of the following year. Different interest rates may apply to separate loans made under this MPN depending on when the loan is first disbursed. The maximum interest rate for Direct PLUS Loans is 10.5%. We will notify you of the interest rate for each loan you receive in a disclosure statement that we send to you.

If you qualify under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the interest rate on your loans obtained prior to military service may be limited to 6% during your military service. Contact your servicer for information about how to request this benefit.

Note to Endorser: You are eligible for the reduced interest rate described above based on the borrower's military service or your own military service, but only for a Direct PLUS Loan for which you signed an Endorser Addendum prior to the earlier of the beginning date of the borrower's military service or the beginning date of your military service.

10. Payment of interest.

Except as provided below for borrowers who serve in the military, you are required to pay the interest that accrues on each Direct PLUS Loan you receive from the date the loan is first disbursed until it is repaid in full, including during periods of deferment or forbearance.

No accrual of interest benefit for active duty service members

Under the no accrual of interest benefit for active duty service members, you are not required to pay the interest that accrues on any type of Direct Loan Program loan first disbursed on or after October 1, 2008 during periods of qualifying active duty military service (for up to 60 months).

Interest capitalization

The example in the chart above shows payments made under the Standard Repayment Plan at an interest rate of 10.5%, the maximum interest rate for a Direct PLUS Loan. In this example, you would pay $22 less per month and $975 less altogether if you pay the interest as it is charged during a 12-month deferment or forbearance period.
You may be able to claim a federal income tax deduction for interest payments you make on Direct Loans. For further information, refer to IRS Publication 970, which is available at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov.

11. LOAN FEE

For each Direct PLUS Loan you receive under this MPN, we charge a loan fee that is a percentage of the principal amount of each loan. This fee will be subtracted proportionately from each disbursement of your loan. The loan fee will be shown on a disclosure statement that we send to you.

12. INTEREST RATE REDUCTION FOR AUTOMATIC WITHDRAWAL OF PAYMENTS

13. DISBURSEMENT (HOW YOUR LOAN MONEY WILL BE PAID OUT)

Generally, the school will disburse (pay out) your loan money in more than one installment, usually at the beginning of each academic term (for example, at the beginning of each semester or quarter). If the school does not use academic terms or does not have academic terms that meet certain requirements, it will generally disburse your loan in at least two installments, one at the beginning of the period of study for which you are receiving the loan, and one at the midpoint of that period of study. The school determines the schedule for disbursing your loan money in accordance with the Act.
The school may disburse some or all of your loan money by crediting it to your account at the school (if you are a graduate or professional student borrower) or to the student's account at the school (if you are a parent borrower), or may give it to you directly by check or other means. Your servicer will notify you in writing each time the school disburses part of your loan money.
If you are a graduate or professional student and have not previously received a Direct PLUS Loan or a Federal PLUS Loan under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, you must receive entrance counseling before your school can make the first disbursement of your loan. Your school will tell you if entrance counseling is required, and will provide instructions for completing entrance counseling.

• If the credit balance occurs after the first day of class of a payment period (the school can tell you this date), the school must pay you the credit balance no later than 14 days after the date the balance occurs.
• If the credit balance occurs on or before the first day of class of a payment period, the school must pay you the credit balance no later than 14 days after the first day of class of the payment period.

If you are a parent borrower, you may authorize the school to pay the credit balance to the student.

14. CANCELING YOUR LOAN

Before your loan money is disbursed, you may cancel all or part of your loan at any time by notifying the school. After your loan money is disbursed, there are two ways to cancel all or part of your loan:

• You may notify the school (within certain timeframes). If the school obtains your written confirmation of the types and amounts of Title IV loans that you want to receive for an award year before crediting loan money to your or the student's account at the school, you may tell the school that you want to cancel all or part of that loan within 14 days after the date the school notifies you of your right to cancel all or part of the loan, or by the first day of the school's payment period, whichever is later (the school can tell you the first day of the payment period).
  If the school does not obtain your written confirmation of the types and amounts of loans you want to receive before crediting the loan money to your or the student's account, you may cancel all or part of that loan by informing the school within 30 days of the date the school notifies you of your right to cancel all or part of the loan.
  If you ask the school to cancel all or part of your loan within the timeframes described above, the school will return the cancelled loan amount to us. If you ask the school to cancel all or part of your loan outside the timeframes described above, the school may process your cancellation request, but it is not required to do so.
  
• You may return all or part of your loan to us. Within 120 days of the date the school disburses your loan money (by crediting the loan money to your or the student's account at the school, by paying it directly to you, or both), you may cancel all or part of your loan by returning all or part of the loan money to us. Contact your servicer for guidance on how and where to return your loan money.

You do not have to pay interest or the loan fee on the part of your loan that is cancelled or returned within the timeframes described above. We will adjust your loan amount to eliminate any interest and loan fee that applies to the amount of the loan that is cancelled or returned.

15. REPAYING YOUR LOAN

The repayment period for each Direct PLUS Loan made under this MPN begins on the date of the final disbursement for that loan. This means that the repayment period for each loan you receive under this MPN will begin on a different date. Unless you receive a deferment or forbearance (see Item 21), your first payment on each loan will be due within 60 days of the final disbursement of that loan. Your servicer will notify you of the date your first payment is due.
You must make payments on your loan even if you do not receive a bill or repayment notice.
You must repay all of your Direct Loans under the same repayment plan, unless you want to repay your loans under the REPAYE Plan, the PAYE Plan, the IBR Plan, or the ICR Plan (see below) and you have other Direct Loans that do not qualify for repayment under those plans. In that case, you may select the REPAYE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR plan for the loans that are eligible for repayment under those plans, and may select a different repayment plan for the loans that may not be repaid under the REPAYE, PAYE, IBR, or ICR plan. Direct PLUS Loans made to a parent borrower may not be repaid under the REPAYE, PAYE, IBR and ICR plans.

Repayment plans for all Direct PLUS Loan borrowers:

Standard Repayment Plan

Graduated Repayment Plan

Extended Repayment Plan

You are eligible for the Extended Repayment Plan only if (1) you have an outstanding balance on Direct Loans that exceeds $30,000, and (2) you had no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan as of October 7, 1998 or on the date you obtained a Direct Loan after October 7, 1998.
Under this plan, you will repay your loan in full over a period not to exceed 25 years (not including periods of deferment or forbearance) from the date the loan entered repayment. You may choose to make fixed monthly payments or graduated monthly payments that start out lower and gradually increase over time. Your payments must be at least $50 a month ($600 a year) and will be more, if necessary, to repay the loan within the required time period. If you make graduated payments, your scheduled monthly payment must at least be equal to the amount of interest that accrues each month. No single scheduled payment under the graduated option will be more than three times greater than any other payment.

Additional repayment plans only for graduate and professional student Direct PLUS Loan borrowers (parent Direct PLUS Loan borrowers may not repay their Direct PLUS Loans under these plans):

If you are a graduate or professional student Direct PLUS Loan borrower, the following additional repayment plans are available:

Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (REPAYE Plan)

Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (PAYE Plan)

The PAYE Plan is available only to new borrowers. You are a new borrower for the PAYE Plan if:
(1) You had no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or a FFEL Program loan as of October 1, 2007, or you have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or a FFEL Program loan when you obtain a new loan on or after October 1, 2007, and
(2) You receive a disbursement of a Direct Subsidized Loan, Direct Unsubsidized Loan, or student Direct PLUS Loan (a Direct PLUS Loan made to a graduate or professional student) on or after October 1, 2011, or you receive a Direct Consolidation Loan based on an application received on or after October 1, 2011. However, you are not considered to be a new borrower for the Pay As You Earn Plan if the Direct Consolidation Loan you receive repays loans that would make you ineligible under part (1) of this definition.
In addition to being a new borrower, to initially qualify for the PAYE Plan, the amount you would be required to pay under this plan, based on your income and family size, must be less than the amount you would have to pay under the Standard Repayment Plan.
If you are married and file a joint federal income tax return, the loan amount we use to determine whether you qualify for the PAYE Plan will include your eligible loans and your spouse's eligible loans.
If you are married and file a separate federal income tax return from your spouse, the loan amount we use to determine whether you qualify for the PAYE Plan will include only your eligible loans.
While you are repaying under the PAYE Plan, you must provide documentation of your income and certify your family size each year so that we may recalculate your payment amount. If your income increases to the point that the amount you would have to pay under the PAYE Plan based on your income is more than what you would have to pay under the Standard Repayment Plan, you will remain on the PAYE Plan, but your monthly payment will no longer be based on your income. Instead, your monthly payment will be what you would be required to pay under the Standard Repayment Plan.
Under the PAYE Plan, if your loan is not repaid in full after you have made the equivalent of 20 years of qualifying monthly payments over a period of at least 20 years, any remaining loan amount will be forgiven. You may have to pay federal income tax on the loan amount that is forgiven.

Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR Plan)

Under the IBR Plan, your monthly payment amount is generally 15% (10% if you are a new borrower; see Note below) of your discretionary income. Discretionary income for this plan is the difference between your adjusted gross income and 150% of the poverty guideline amount for your state of residence and family size, divided by 12.
If you are married and file a joint federal income tax return, the income used to determine your IBR Plan payment amount will be the combined adjusted gross income of you and your spouse.
If you are married and file a separate federal income tax return from your spouse, only your individual adjusted gross income will be used to determine your IBR Plan payment amount.
To initially qualify for the IBR Plan, the monthly amount you would be required to pay under this plan, based on your income and family size, must be less than the amount you would have to pay under the Standard Repayment Plan.

If you are married and file a joint federal income tax return, the loan amount we use to determine whether you qualify for the IBR Plan will include your eligible loans and your spouse's eligible loans. If you are married and file a separate federal income tax return from your spouse, the loan amount we use to determine whether you qualify for the IBR Plan will include only your eligible loans.
While you are repaying under the IBR Plan, you must provide documentation of your income and certify your family size each year so that we may recalculate your payment amount. If your income increases to the point that the amount you would have to pay under the IBR Plan based on your income is more than what you would have to pay under the Standard Repayment Plan, you will remain on the IBR Plan, but your monthly payment will no longer be based on your income. Instead, your monthly payment will be what you would be required to pay under the Standard Repayment Plan.

Under the IBR Plan, if your loan is not repaid in full after you have made the equivalent of 25 years (20 years if you are a new borrower) of qualifying monthly payments over a period of at least 25 years (20 years if you are a new borrower), any remaining loan amount will be forgiven. You may have to pay federal income tax on the loan amount that is forgiven.

NOTE: You are a new borrower for the IBR Plan if you have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or a FFEL Program loan on July 1, 2014, or if you have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or a FFEL Program loan on the date you obtain a Direct Loan after July 1, 2014. Your servicer will determine whether you are a new borrower based on the information about your loans in the U.S. Department of Education's National Student Loan Data System.

Income Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR Plan)

Under the ICR Plan, your monthly payment amount will be either 20% of your discretionary income or a percentage of what you would repay under a Standard Repayment Plan with a 12-year repayment period, whichever is less. Discretionary income for this plan is the difference between your adjusted gross income and the poverty guideline amount for your state of residence and family size, divided by 12.
If you are married and file a joint federal income tax return, the income used to determine your ICR Plan payment amount will be the combined adjusted gross income of you and your spouse.
If you are married and file a separate federal income tax return from your spouse, only your individual adjusted gross income will be used to determine your ICR Plan payment amount.
Until we obtain the information needed to calculate your monthly payment amount, your payment will equal the amount of interest that accrues monthly on your loan unless you request a forbearance.
While you are repaying under the ICR Plan, you must provide documentation of your income and certify your family size each year so that we may recalculate your payment amount.
Under the ICR Plan, if your loan is not repaid in full after you have made the equivalent of 25 years of qualifying monthly payments over a period of at least 25 years, any remaining loan amount will be forgiven. You may have to pay federal income tax on the loan amount that is forgiven.

Additional repayment plan information

If you are a graduate or professional student, these repayment plans will be explained in more detail during your exit counseling session

Under each plan, the number or amount of payments may need to be adjusted to reflect capitalized interest and/or new loans made to you.
If you can show to our satisfaction that the terms and conditions of the above repayment plans are not adequate to meet your exceptional circumstances, we may provide you with an alternative repayment plan.
If you do not choose a repayment plan, we will place you on the Standard Repayment Plan.
You can also use the Repayment Estimator at StudentAid.gov/Repayment-Estimator to estimate your monthly and total payment amounts under the different repayment plans and to evaluate your eligibility for the IBR and Pay As You Earn plans. The calculators are for informational purposes only. Your servicer will make the official determination of your payment amount and, for the IBR and Pay As You Earn plans, your eligibility for the plan.
You may change repayment plans at any time after you have begun repaying your loan. However, you may not change to a different repayment plan that has a maximum repayment period of less than the number of years your loan has already been in repayment, except that you may change to the IBR Plan, the Pay As You Earn Plan, or the ICR Plan at any time. There is no penalty if you make loan payments before they are due, or pay more than the amount due each month (prepayments).

Note to Endorser: If you are making payments on the borrower's Direct PLUS Loan, you may request a change of repayment plans by contacting your servicer.

We apply your payments made under any repayment plan other than the IBR Plan and the Pay As You Earn Plan in the following order:

1. late charges and collection costs,
2. outstanding interest, and
3. outstanding principal.

1. outstanding interest,
2. late charges and collection costs, and
3. outstanding principal.

There is no penalty if you make loan payments before they are due, or pay more than the amount due each month (prepayments). We apply any prepayments in accordance with the Act. Your servicer can provide more information about how prepayments are applied.

When you have repaid a loan in full, your servicer will send you a notice telling you that you have paid off your loan. You should keep this notice in a safe place.

16. TRANSFER OF LOAN

17. LATE CHARGES AND COLLECTION COSTS

18. DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE REPAYMENT

• Receive loan money, but you or the student for whom you obtained the loan do not enroll at least half-time at the school that determined you were eligible to receive the loan;
• Use your loan money to pay for anything other than expenses related to your or the student's education at the school that determined you were eligible to receive the loan;
• Make a false statement that causes you to receive a loan that you are not eligible to receive; or
• Default on your loan.

19. DEFAULTING ON YOUR LOAN.

Default (failing to repay your loan) is defined in detail in the Terms and Conditions section of your MPN (Section F). If you default:

• We will require you to immediately repay the entire unpaid amount of your loan.
• We may sue you, take all or part of your federal tax refund or other federal payments, and/or garnish your wages so that your employer is required to send us part of your salary to pay off your loan.
• We will require you to pay reasonable collection fees and costs, plus court costs and attorney fees.
• You will lose eligibility for other federal student aid and assistance under most federal benefit programs.
• You will lose eligibility for loan deferments.

  Note to Endorser: If the borrower defaults on the loan, and you do not make payments on the loan, you may also be subject to the actions described above.

• We will also report your default to nationwide consumer reporting agencies (see Item 20, "Consumer reporting agency notification"). This will harm your credit history and may make it difficult for you to obtain credit cards, home or car loans, or other forms of consumer credit.

20. CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY NOTIFICATION.
We will report information about your loan to nationwide consumer reporting agencies (commonly known as "credit bureaus") on a regular basis. This information will include the disbursement dates, amount, and repayment status of your loan (for example, whether you are current or delinquent in making payments). Your loan will be identified as an education loan. If you default on a loan, we will also report this to nationwide consumer reporting agencies. We will notify you at least 30 days in advance that we plan to report default information to a consumer reporting agency unless you resume making payments on the loan within 30 days of the date of the notice. You will be given a chance to ask for a review of the debt before we report it. If a consumer reporting agency contacts us regarding objections you have raised about the accuracy or completeness of any information we have reported, we are required to provide the agency with a prompt response.

Note to Endorser:
If the borrower of a Direct PLUS Loan becomes delinquent in making payments or defaults on the loan, we may also report your name to consumer reporting agencies in connection with the delinquent or defaulted loan.

21. DEFERMENT AND FORBEARANCE (POSTPONING PAYMENTS).

General

Deferment

You may recieve a derferment:

• While you are enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school;
• During the 6-month period after you cease to be enrolled at least half-time;
• While the student for whom you obtained a Direct PLUS Loan is enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school;
• During the 6-month period after the student for whom you obtained a Direct PLUS Loan ceases to be enrolled at least half-time;
• While you are in a full-time course of study in a graduate fellowship program;
• While you are in an approved full-time rehabilitation program for individuals with disabilities;
• While you are unemployed (for a maximum of three years; you must be diligently seeking, but unable to find, full-time employment);
• While you are experiencing an economic hardship (including Peace Corps service), as defined in the Act (for a maximum of three years);
• While you are serving on active duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency or performing qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency and, if you were serving on or after October 1, 2007, for an additional 180-day period following the demobilization date for your qualifying service; or
• If you are a member of the National Guard or other reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces (current or retired) and you are called or ordered to active duty while you are enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school or within 6 months of having been enrolled at least half-time, during the 13 months following the conclusion of your active duty service, or until you return to enrolled student status on at least a half-time basis, whichever is earlier.

You may be eligible to receive additional deferments if, at the time you received your first Direct Loan, you had an outstanding balance on a loan made under the FFEL Program before July 1, 1993. If you meet this requirement, contact your servicer for information about additional deferments that may be available.
You may receive a deferment while you are enrolled in school on at least a half-time basis (and, if you are a graduate or professional student, during the 6-month period after you cease to be enrolled at least half-time) if (1) you submit a deferment request to your servicer along with documentation of your eligibility for the deferment, or (2) your servicer receives information from the school you are attending that indicates you are enrolled at least half-time. If your servicer processes a deferment based on information received from your school, you will be notified of the deferment and will have the option of canceling the deferment and continuing to make payments on your loan.
For all other deferments, you (or, for a deferment based on active military duty or qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency, your representative) must submit a deferment request to your servicer, along with documentation of your eligibility for the deferment. In certain circumstances, you may not be required to provide documentation of your eligibility if your servicer confirms that you have been granted the same deferment for the same time period on a FFEL Program loan. Your servicer can provide you with a deferment request form that explains the eligibility and documentation requirements for the type of deferment you are requesting. You may also obtain deferment request forms and information on deferment eligibility requirements from your servicer's web site.
If you are in default on your loan, you are not eligible for a deferment.
You are responsible for paying the interest on a Direct PLUS Loan during a period of deferment.

Note to Endorser: You are not eligible to receive a deferment.

Forbearance We may give you a forbearance if you are temporarily unable to make your scheduled loan payments for reasons including, but not limited to, financial hardship and illness.
We will give you a forbearance if:

• You are serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program, and you meet specific requirements;
• The total amount you owe each month for all of the student loans you received under Title IV of the Act (Direct Loan Program loans, FFEL Program loans, and Federal Perkins Loans) is 20% or more of your total monthly gross income (for a maximum of three years);
• You are serving in a national service position for which you receive a national service award under the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. In some cases, the interest that accrues on a qualified loan during the service period will be paid by the Corporation for National and Community Service;
• You qualify for partial repayment of your loans under a student loan repayment program administered by the Department of Defense; or
• You are called to active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.

To request a forbearance, contact your servicer. Your servicer can explain the eligibility and documentation requirements for the type of forbearance you are requesting. You may also obtain information on forbearance eligibility requirements from your servicer's web site.
Under certain circumstances, we may also give you a forbearance without requiring you to submit a request or documentation. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Periods necessary for us to determine your eligibility for a loan discharge;
• A period of up to 60 days in order for us to collect and process documentation related to your request for a deferment, forbearance, change in repayment plan, or consolidation loan (we do not capitalize the interest that is charged during this period);
• Periods when you are involved in a military mobilization, or a local or national emergency; or
• Periods necessary to align repayment of Direct PLUS Loans that do not qualify for a 6-month post-enrollment deferment with other Direct PLUS Loans that qualify for this deferment, or with Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans that have a grace period. Contact your servicer for more information.

You are responsible for paying the interest on a Direct PLUS Loan during a period of forbearance.

Note to Endorser: You may request a forbearance.

22. DISCHARGE (having your loan forgiven).

We will discharge (forgive) your loan if:

• You die, or the child on whose behalf you obtained a Direct PLUS Loan dies. Your servicer must receive acceptable documentation (as defined in the Act) of your death or the child's death.
• Your loan is discharged in bankruptcy after you have proven to the bankruptcy court that repaying the loan would cause undue hardship. Direct Loans are not otherwise automatically discharged if you file for bankruptcy.
• You become totally and permanently disabled (as defined in the Act) and meet certain other requirements.

School closure False certification Identity theft Unpaid refund

In certain cases, we may also discharge all or a portion of your loan if:

• You (or the child on whose behalf you obtained a Direct PLUS Loan) could not complete a program of study because the school closed;
• Your loan eligibility was falsely certified by the school;
• A loan in your name was falsely certified as a result of a crime of identity theft; or
• The school did not pay a refund of your loan money that it was required to pay under federal regulations.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Additional loan discharge information

not complete the education paid for with the loan, are unable to obtain employment in the field of study for which the school provided training, or are dissatisfied with, or do not receive, the education paid for with the loan.

Note to Endorser: If we discharge the full amount of the borrower's loan for any of the conditions described above, you are no longer obligated to make any payments on the loan. However, if a loan is reinstated after a discharge, you will again be obligated to make payments on the loan if the borrower does not make payments.

23. LOAN CONSOLIDATION.

A Direct Consolidation Loan Program is available that allows you to consolidate one or more of your eligible federal education loans into a new loan with a single monthly payment, and may allow you to extend the period of time that you have to repay your loans. This may make it easier for you to repay your loans. However, you will pay more interest if you extend your repayment period through consolidation, since you will be making payments for a longer period of time. Contact your servicer for more information about loan consolidation.

Note to Endorser: You are not eligible to apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan to repay a Direct PLUS Loan for which you are the endorser.

24. Department of Defense and other federal agency loan repayment.

Under certain circumstances, military personnel may have their federal education loans repaid by the Secretary of Defense. This benefit is offered as part of a recruitment program that does not apply to individuals based on their previous military service or to those who are not eligible for enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces. For more information, contact your local military service recruitment office.
Other agencies of the federal government may also offer student loan repayment programs as an incentive to recruit and retain employees. Contact the agency's human resources department for more information.