Loan Repayment
Loan Exit Counseling (a.k.a. Exit Interview)
When you are prepared to graduate from MSU, we will invite you to participate in Loan Exit Counseling, which you can do in person, by mail, or on the Internet. Loan counseling provides information on what to expect as you begin repaying your loans.
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
The NSLDS lets you look up information about YOUR loans, including how much you owe and who your lenders and servicers are.
Who to contact after you graduate or leave MSU
- For Stafford, Parent Plus, and Grad PLUS loans:
If you borrowed through MSU before Fall 2003 or after Summer 2008, your Stafford and PLUS loans are handled by the Direct Loan Servicing Center. If you borrowed between Fall 2003 and Summer 2008, your loans are probably handled by Great Lakes Educational Loan Services.- Direct Loan Servicing Center (Direct Stafford, Direct PLUS) 1-800-848-0979.
- Great Lakes Educational Loan Services (Stafford, Parent PLUS, Grad PLUS) 1-800-247-0462.
- For other servicers, consult your loan history on NSLDS.
- For Perkins, Health Professions, and Robert Young loans:
- Approximately 3 months after graduating or leaving MSU, you will receive a payment booklet, and after 9 months you begin sending your payments to MSU.
- For questions while in repayment contact MSU Loans Receivable at 1-517-355-5140.
- For private (alternative) loans, refer to your loan applications to find your lender or servicer.
Loan Payment Calculators
Loan Forgiveness Programs
Under certain circumstances, the federal government will cancel all or part of an educational loan. This practice is called loan forgiveness or loan cancellation.
- Federal loan forgiveness programs
- Loan forgiveness through volunteer work
- AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) offer the opportunity to reduce your student loan indebtedness.
Loan Consolidation
Before considering loan consolidation, you should be aware that if you received special borrower benefits by borrowing through MSU's suggested lenders, you may lose some of those benefits (including reduced interest rates). For more information, see our page on loan consolidation.
Financial Hardship, Deferment, Forbearance, Default
If you are unable to make your student loan payments, there are deferment and forbearance options available. The consequences of defaulting on your student loans are severe, so explore your options BEFORE you default.
