Loan Information for 2016-2017
The Federal Direct Loan is a federal loan program where students borrow directly from the Federal Government instead of from a bank or other lending institution.
A community college student may borrow up to $3,500 as a first year student and up to $4,500 as a second year student. Please review the aggregate loan limits for the maximum amount you can borrow from all schools.
The interest rate is set each school year for disbursements on or after July 1st. The interest rates are shown below.
Fixed Rates for Loans First Disbursed on or After July 1, 2016
| LOAN TYPE | GRADE LEVEL | First Disbursed Between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 | caps on interest rates |
|---|
| Subsidized Loans | Undergraduate |
3.76%
| 8.25% |
| PLUS Loans | Parents | 6.31% | 10.50% |
Borrowers are required to pay an origination and insurance fee. These fees are deducted from the proceeds of the loan.
For loans disbursed between July 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016, the origination fee is 1.068%.
For loans disbursed on or after October 1, 2016 the origination fee is 1.069%.
General Loan Eligibility Requirements
- The maximum total subsidized loan amounts you can receive as an undergraduate student is $23,000.
Aggregate Loan Limits: Maximum Total Outstanding Loan Debt
| | Dependent Undergraduate Students | Independent Undergraduate Students* |
|---|
| Undergraduate | $31,000 (maximum $23,000 subsidized) | $57,500 (maximum $23,000 subsidized) |
| Graduate and Professional | N/A | $138,500 |
New Lifetime Limits (150% of Program)
Effective July 1, 2013, students who are considered new borrowers will have a lifetime limit on Subsidized loan eligibility of 150% of their declared/enrolled program. A new borrower is a student who has a $0 (zero) balance of loans in repayment. This includes students who have never borrowed a Subsidized loan and students who previously borrowed a Subsidized loan and who have repaid the loan or will repay the loan in the future so that the balance is now $0.
The 150% limit is based on each student's program. In general, students at a community college are usually enrolled in a two year Associate's degree program. Therefore, they will be limited to three years of Subsidized loan eligibility. Once students reach the 150% limit, they will no longer be eligible for Subsidized loans at a two year school.
Students who transfer to a four year university will receive a new limit at that school which generally will be up to six years. Students who transfer from a four year university and who have borrowed three years of Subsidized loans prior to attending a community college will not be eligible for any Subsidized loan because they will have already reached the 150% limit.
General Loan Eligibility Requirements
- You must be officially enrolled in and keep 6 or more units each semester with at least 1 class at San Diego City College
- Only classes taken at City, Mesa, Miramar or ECC will be counted towards your enrollment status
- You must maintain continuous half-time enrollment for the entire loan period to receive your loan payments
- If you drop or withdraw below 6 units at any time, you will not be eligible to receive your loan payments
- If your loan period is for one semester only, you will only be eligible for up to 1/2 of the annual loan amount
- If you enroll in classes that start later in the semester, your loan disbursement will be delayed until after the start date of the late class that brings your enrollment up to 6 or more current units
- Loan requests must be submitted by the specified deadlines or your request will not be processed
- You cannot receive a loan once the loan period has ended
- You must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as published in the San Diego Community College District Financial Aid Bulletin. Click the link to the right of this page called Satisfactory Academic Progress to review the new SAP standards
- You must not be in Default on any Title IV Federal loan or owe an overpayment or repayment on any Federal Grant from any institution
- You must have unmet need based on your FAFSA application for a Subsidized loan
- You must meet and maintain all other Federal eligibility requirements
Entrance counseling
All first time borrowers must complete an online entrance interview at: StudentLoans.gov. Sign in with your Federal FSA ID and click on the entrance counseling link.
After successfully completing the online entrance interview, select San Diego City College as your school of choice. Print your confirmation and bring it to the Financial Aid Office along with your completed Direct Loan Request form.