Your William D. Ford Direct Loans are made directly to you by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) through the school(s) you attend. ED is your lender and will remain your lender throughout the life of your Direct Loans. The Department of Education's Direct Loan Servicing Center (Servicing Center) oversees your loan account until each loan is paid in full. Although there are several Servicing Center locations (with separate addresses and toll-free telephone numbers), you'll have only one Servicing Center to deal with, even if you take out several Direct Loans or transfer from one school to another
While the Servicing Center will oversee your loan account until your loans are paid in full, you are the real loan manager, because you are responsible for repaying your loans. As a Direct Loan borrower who is graduating from your program or who is no longer attending school at least half the time, you will have many decisions to make in the near future, including decisions about managing the repayment of your student loans.
This Exit Counseling Guide for Borrowers (Borrower's Guide) can help you
Note that the examples used throughout this Borrower's Guide are estimates based on current U.S. Department of Education policy. The figures given in some examples have been rounded to the nearest whole dollar. The Servicing Center will provide you with the exact payment amounts for your loans when you enter repayment.
Please remember that if you have any questions about your loans, your school's financial aid office and the Direct Loan Servicing Center are there to help you.