PLUS Loan Application

• This loan can be used to cover your student’s educational expenses that aren’t covered by other forms of financial aid. This loan can also be used to cover your “Expected Family Contribution” as indicated on your student’s financial aid award offer.
• Repayment can be deferred until your student leaves school.
• This loan has flexible repayment options.

We encourage you to read all about the PLUS Loan before applying. For information about interest and fees, deferment, repayment, and much more, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

**Beginning with the 2024-2025 award year, Student Aid Index (SAI) will be replacing the Expected Family Contribution to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended the school.  You will find more information on SAI at studentaid.gov

• Your Dependent Student must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree-granting program
• A valid student FAFSA is required
• If the student is selected for verification, that process must be completed
• Student must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
• Parent may select to have repayment deferred while student is in school
• Funds are sent directly to the school

In some cases, you won’t be able to complete the online application

• If you are not a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, 
• Have a defaulted federal education loan
• Have filed bankruptcy that prevents incurring new debt
• Owe an overpayment of a federal education grant received in error

If this happens, your student, if eligible, may be considered for additional Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan funds. Please complete the Ineligible PLUS Borrower Form to let us know if you are ineligible for a PLUS Loan. The form should be submitted for each parent listed on the FAFSA.

As a parent, the maximum you may borrow for each undergraduate student at UC Berkeley is determined by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office and is listed on your student’s financial aid offer.

By borrowing wisely, repayment will be manageable!

Note: You may not have to borrow as much as what is offered. Review your student’s actual expenses and your finances carefully. Use this review to help you determine the least amount you need to borrow. Remember to consider any cash payments you can make from your current income or savings.

Apply as soon after April 8th as possible, each year for the upcoming academic year, and only after your student has received an official offer of financial aid that includes a Parent PLUS Loan.

For summer PLUS Loans, apply as soon after March 30 as possible after your student receives an official summer aid offer that includes a Parent PLUS Loan. Please Note: Summer PLUS Loans require a new application.

The final application deadlines, meaning that all required online processes must be completed, are listed below:

Attending Fall-only: November 30

Attending Fall and Spring or Spring-only: April 30

Attending Summer Sessions:

Repayment begins 60 days after the loan is paid out in full. For fall/spring loans, this typically means repayment begins in late February.

Repayment can be deferred while your student is enrolled at least half-time, however interest will continue to accrue. To defer repayment, you must contact your loan servicer.

Here is more information about repayment from the Federal Student Aid website.

Within 120 Days of Disbursement

You can cancel or reduce a paid loan through a request to the school for up to 120 days from the original disbursement date. It is important to remember that a reduction or cancellation of a paid PLUS loan will create a charge on your student’s account that must be paid within no more than 30 days.

If you reduce your loan using these directions, send your payment to UC Berkeley once you see the charge on the student account.

To reduce or cancel a federal PLUS loan, the PLUS parent borrower should open a case with the requested change.

When you cancel your loan through the school by reducing the amount, a charge will be applied to your student account within 2 to 3 business days, which may create a balance due. You are responsible for paying this balance. Do not send a payment to your loan servicer if you are reducing the loan through the school.

More Than 120 Days After Disbursement

If it has been more than 120 days since your loan disbursement date, you cannot cancel your loan. However, you can make a payment to your servicer. Locate the servicer’s contact information by logging into your studentaid.gov account.

In order to ensure that your payment is applied to a particular loan, you must include a letter with your payment that has specific instructions about how to apply your payment.

For example: “Please apply this $200 payment to my unsubsidized loan first disbursed on 01/10/09, paying off any accrued interest and then applying any remaining payment to the principal of that loan.”

f you have not yet set up your FSA ID and/or need to replace an existing Federal PIN, please visit the FSA ID website before visiting the Federal Student Aid website.

Be sure to choose the correct period for the loans when you complete the PLUS application.

• If you want a fall or spring PLUS loan, then choose the loan period from August to May.

• If it is a PLUS loan for the summer term, then choose the loan period from May to August.

Step 2.

• Choose your principal repayment deferment option. It will cost you less overall if you choose not to defer principal repayments.

• Choose the Other Charges option: If you authorize, PLUS funds will be used to pay any existing charges on your student’s Cal Central account.

• Choose a Credit Balance option. Most parents choose “The Student” because this is the most efficient way to get funds to where they are needed. If you choose “Me,” any refund will be issued via paper check and mailed to you (the parent) at the address on your PLUS application.

Step 3.

• Enter a specific amount in the Loan Amount Requested section to minimize your borrowing. If you do not provide a specific amount, we will not process your application and you will be required to submit a new application with an amount.

• Choose to borrow the maximum, UC Berkeley will determine the maximum amount parents can borrow.  Additional PLUS loans will be processed anytime your maximum eligibility increases. This happens automatically, and will result in higher debt.

• If you choose “I don’t know,” we will not process your application and you will need to submit a new PLUS application.

• For Loan Period, be sure to choose the correct period for the loans when you complete the PLUS application.

• If you want a fall or spring PLUS loan, then choose the loan period from August to May.

• If it is a PLUS loan for the summer term, then choose the loan period from May to August.

Continue through the application. You will see your approval status immediately.

• Click on the “Complete MPN” link and follow the directions.  Take some time to read all the small print as it contains important information about the interest, fees, your repayment obligations, and your borrower rights.
• Once you electronically sign your MPN, it will be transmitted to UC Berkeley electronically and linked to your application.
• The whole process will take a minimum of three business days, resulting in loan payments to Cal Central within five business days if all other eligibility requirements are met.

If you are not approved, you will be presented with some options.  You can:

Option 1. Appeal the decision

• If you get an adverse credit result, you may be able to file an appeal to ask for additional review.
• You can file an appeal online.  If you can’t file online, you may call 1-800-433-3243
• If your appeal is approved, you will need to complete PLUS Credit Counseling before the loan can be disbursed.

Option 2. Secure an endorser

• If you have decided to pursue an endorser, the endorser will complete the “Endorse Direct PLUS Loan” section at studentaid.gov. 
• Borrowers who required an endorser for approval of the PLUS loan must submit the following before the PLUS loan can be disbursed
  • PLUS MPN for Parents
  • PLUS Credit Counseling

 Option 3. Not pursue a Direct PLUS loan at this time

We will zero out your Parent PLUS Loan and offer your student additional Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan if you choose this option.

Option 4. Undecided

No action will be taken by the school.  Note:  If you change your mind about how to proceed after you have submitted your response, please let us know by contacting Cal Student Central.  The case you submit should include your name and contact information, as well as your student’s name and the student ID number.

1. Log in to CalCentral. We encourage you to accept the smallest amount of Grad PLUS needed for the year. You can accept less than the offered amount, which is your maximum current eligibility. You can also delay accepting any or all of your offer until you are sure you need it.
2. Complete the Grad PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN) online. Simply log in to studentaid.gov by clicking on the green “Log In” button and entering your federal PIN information. Note: The Grad PLUS MPN is not the same MPN that you may have completed for your subsidized or unsubsidized loan. It is exclusive to the Grad PLUS.
3. Complete your Entrance Counseling at studentaid.gov. Be sure to select the "Graduate" student type when prompted.

To receive a Federal Direct Loan at UC Berkeley, you need to complete required processes by the following deadlines at the latest:

Attending Fall-only: November 30

Attending Fall/Spring or Spring-Only: April 30

Attending Summer Sessions:

WHAT YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE

• Accept your loan through CalCentral. Please Note: Your credit will be checked when you accept the loan and the School submits the loan record to the Dept. of Education.
• Complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN).
• Complete Entrance Loan Counseling.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

• After 2 to 3 business days, your Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling will be received by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
• After verifying that you do not have any blocks, that your financial aid application is complete, and that you meet all other basic eligibility requirements, your loan will disburse to your account.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CREDIT CHECK CANNOT BE RUN AND/OR IS DENIED?

• If you have a freeze on your credit, this may prevent the required credit check from being run, which will result in a pending credit status that will need to be resolved for the credit check to run. If possible, it is best to lift the credit freeze prior to accepting your Graduate PLUS loan, to avoid a "pending" credit status.
• If the credit check shows that you have an adverse credit history, your Graduate PLUS loan will be denied, but you may still receive a grad PLUS loan through the following two options:
  • Obtaining an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the grad PLUS loan if you do not repay it.
  • Documenting to the satisfaction of the U.S. Department of Education that there are extenuating circumstances relating to your adverse credit history.

With either option 1 or option 2, you also must complete credit counseling for PLUS loan borrowers on the Federal Students Loan website.

WHERE DOES YOUR LOAN GO?

• Your loan disburses to your student account and pays for any outstanding charges that you have for the term that the loan is disbursed.
• If there is no outstanding balance on your student account when the loan is paid, or if your loan disbursement is larger than your balance, you will receive a refund.
• If you are going to receive a refund, you will get a notification from Billing and Payment Services.

Within 120 Days of Disbursement

You can cancel or reduce a paid loan through a request to the school for up to 120 days from the original disbursement date. It is important to remember that a reduction or cancellation of a paid student loan will create a charge on your student account that must be paid within no more than 30 days.

If you reduce your loan using these directions, send your payment to UC Berkeley once you see the charge on the student account.

To reduce or cancel a federal student loan, the student should open a case with the requested change.

When you cancel your loan through the school by reducing the amount, a charge will be applied to your student account within 2 to 3 business days, which may create a balance due. You are responsible for paying this balance. Do not send a payment to your loan servicer if you are reducing the loan through the school.

More Than 120 Days After Disbursement

If it has been more than 120 days since your loan disbursement date, you cannot cancel or reduce your loan through the school. However, you can make a payment directly to your servicer. Locate the servicer’s contact information by logging into your studentaid.gov account. 

In order to ensure that your payment is applied to a particular loan, you must include a letter to the loan servicer with your payment that has specific instructions about how to apply your payment.

For example: "Please apply this $200 payment to my unsubsidized loan first disbursed on 01/10/2019, paying off any accrued interest and then applying any remaining payment to the principal of that loan."