Federal Direct PLUS Loan is available to parents of undergraduate, dependent students. For the parent to be eligible to borrow the Federal Direct PLUS Loan,

  1. the parent must not have an adverse credit history,
  2. the parent and student must be U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens, and
  3. the student must be registered with Selective Service.   

The interest rate for the Federal Direct PLUS Loan, with a first disbursement on or after July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025, is a fixed 9.08%. Loan funds are disbursed via EFT (electronic funds transfer) and remitted to Hampden-Sydney in two disbursements, one at the beginning of each semester, and are applied directly to the tuition account.Repayment of principal and interest begins within 60 days following full disbursement of loan proceeds, with up to 10 years to repay. You may request a deferral of repayment on this loan while the student is in school. The parent borrower must pass a credit check and must not have adverse credit history.

For loans where the first disbursement is made on or after October 1, 2020, the federal loan fee is 4.228%.


Federal Loan Servicers

How to Apply for Federal Direct PLUS Loans

ATTENTION: Federal Direct PLUS Loan applicants for 2024-2025 – The credit check is good only for 180 days from the date of the application.  Do not apply before April 25, 2024.

Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Parent Borrower)

  1. To begin your loan process, go to Direct PLUS
  2. Click on the LOG IN buttonand enter the [parent] FSA ID (or Username/Password).
  3. Under Apply for a PLUS Loan, select START
  4. Select the appropriate Award Year and provide all requested information.
  5. For Loan Amount Requested, select I would like to specify a loan amount. (For help determining the amount to enter for your Federal PLUS Loan, refer to the Cost Estimate Worksheet or provided in the financial aid award letter packet.)
    • For loans where the first disbursement is made on or after October 1, 2020, the federal loan fee is 4.228%.  Be sure to factor in the 4.228% federal loan fee before specifying a loan amount.  For example, if you will need $10,000 to cover your balance due, you should request $10,442 ($10,000 divided by .95772 dropping the cents).
  6. If you are credit approved for the Federal Direct PLUS Loan, you will be prompted to complete an MPN (Master Promissory Note) if there is not already one on file for you
  7. If you are not credit approved for this loan, the following options are available:
  • You may appeal the credit decision by calling the Federal Student Loan Support Center toll free at 1-800-557-7394.  OR
  • You may pursue this loan by obtaining a credit-worthy endorser.  Your endorser will need an FSA ID to complete the endorser addendum on-line.  Direct them to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch to create an FSA ID.  OR,
  • The student may borrow a supplemental unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan (up to $4,000 for freshmen/sophomores or up to $5,000 for juniors/seniors). Contact the Financial Aid Office by phone, 434-223-6119, or by email, hsfinaid@hsc.edu, and we will provide the Supplemental Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan Request Form.