PLUS Loans are low-interest, federally insured loans made to the parents of dependent students and are now available for graduate and professional students. Independent undergraduate students may not receive a PLUS loan.

For parents, we suggest that your son or daughter first apply for a Stafford Loan before you apply for a PLUS due to more favorable interest and repayment options. Graduate students must first apply for a Stafford Loan.

PLUS loans are based on the credit-worthiness of the applicant. A credit check is made by the lender, not the University. If a parent applicant is denied a PLUS loan due to a credit problem, their dependent student may be eligible for additional unsubsidized Stafford Loan borrowing. The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships will automatically consider dependent undergraduate students for the maximum unsubsidized Stafford loan if the Parent PLUS loan is denied because of credit. If you do not want the additional unsubsidized Stafford Loan, you may decline or reduce it.

If a graduate student is denied a PLUS due to credit issues, you may seek the assistance of a credit-worthy co-borrower. You may discuss your options with your PLUS lender.

To apply for a PLUS loan, select a lender from the list provided below.

You may wish to use the same lender you have for your Stafford Loans to keep everything together, but you are not required to do so.

The application process is web-based and should be completed following the directions provided on the lender's web page. The terms of the PLUS loan are also explained on each lender's web page. Additionally, you will also receive a disclosure statement from your lender outlining the terms of your loan.

To begin the application process select your PLUS lender:

PLUS Disbursement
Most PLUS disbursements are made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and applied to the student's charges. When a Parent PLUS is disbursed via a paper check, it is made co payable to the parent borrower and the University and sent to the Student Loan Accounting Office for disbursement. The same would apply for a Graduate PLUS if the disbursement is made by paper check.