The Federal Perkins Loan
The Federal Perkins Loan was discontinued by law as an available type of Federal Student loan in 2017. The information below is exclusively for archival and referential purposes for students who had borrowed a Perkins loan prior to 2017. Questions related to Perkins Loan repayment should be directed to the Office of the Bursar.
What Are My Rights as a Borrower?
- You must be provided with a copy of your promissory note. The original promissory note must be returned to you when the loan is paid in full.
- You have the right to a grace period before your repayment period begins and interest charges start to accumulate. The exact length of your grace period is shown on your promissory note.
- You must be told the total amount of your debt (principal and interest), what your interest rate is, the total interest charges on your loan, and what other fees you should expect during the repayment period.
- You must be given a loan repayment schedule that lets you know when your first payment is due, and the number, frequency and the amount of all payments.
- You must be told where to send your payments and whom to contact if you have questions about your loan.
- You must be given a list of deferment and cancellation conditions and the conditions under which the Department of Defense will repay your loan.
- You must be given an explanation of options for prepaying your loan at any time without penalty, for refinancing your loan, and for taking advantage of a consolidation loan.
- You have a right to forbearance if your total loan debt is equal to or greater than 20 percent of your adjusted gross income. Forbearance is renewable every year for up to three years.
- All the above will be provided as part of your entrance or exit counseling.
What Are My Responsibilities as a Borrower?
- Signing a promissory note is your commitment to repay your Federal Perkins Loan. You must repay this loan even if you don't complete your education, can't get a job after graduation or are not satisfied with the education you received.
- You must notify the Federal Perkins Loan Coordinator if you graduate, withdraw, take a leave of absence, or drop below half-time status; if you transfer to another school; or if you change your name, address or social security number.
- You must complete an online entrance counseling session before receiving your first disbursement and an exit counseling session when you cease to be a half-time student at this college, due to graduation,withdrawal, academic dismissal or taking a leave of absence.
- You must repay your loan according to the repayment schedule, even if you do not receive a bill from the college. If you cannot meet the terms of the repayment agreement, you must notify the Federal Perkins Loan coordinator immediately.
- If you qualify for a deferment or cancellation, you must file properly completed and certified forms with the billing service by the date payment is due.
- You must notify the Federal Perkins Loan coordinator of any occurrence that may affect your eligibility for a deferment.
