Direct PLUS Loans Paperwork
The Parent PLUS loan is intended for a parent to borrow money on behalf of the student. The process begins with the student accepting the PLUS loan offer from the Office of Student Financial Aid. Any questions about the FAFSA application and award letter process may be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
After the PLUS award has been accepted, a PLUS Application Letter will be mailed by the Student Fiscal Services (SFS) Office to your permanent address on MyUW (please be sure to update your address on MyUW as needed).
PLUS Application Letter & Disbursement Options
The PLUS Application Letter includes three sections for the parent borrower to review and/or complete. Please enter all information on this form carefully and legibly to help avoid processing errors.
Parent Information:
- For New PLUS Borrowers (those who have not borrowed from the PLUS program before, or borrowed previously with an Endorser): please complete the Parent Information section of the form:
| Name | Parent borrower’s full name – please print legibly |
|---|---|
| SSN | Parent borrower’s social security number |
| Address | Parent borrower’s address (including City, State, Zip) |
| Date of Birth | Parent borrower’s birthdate – mm/dd/yyyy |
| Telephone | Parent borrower’s telephone number – including area code |
| US Citizen? | Enter Yes if US Citizen; enter No if not a US Citizen |
| Alien Registration # | Enter the Alien Registration No. if Permanent Resident or other Eligible Non-Citizen |
-
For Continuing PLUS Borrowers (those who have borrowed from the PLUS program before without an Endorser): please verify the data in the Parent Information section of the form, and make any necessary corrections for this year’s loan.
Note: If the data in the Parent Information section is for a different parent who has not borrowed previously, update all the fields in this section with the new parent’s data. -
Requested Loan Amount:
In the middle of the cover sheet is a section with the heading Requested Loan Amount. The parent must complete this section.- The requested loan amount may be any dollar amount up to, but not exceeding the Maximum Loan Eligibility which is printed at the top right side of the cover letter.
- The parent borrower must sign and date the Requested Loan Amount section.
-
PLUS Loan Disbursement Authorization (optional):
At the bottom of the Application Letter is the Plus Loan Disbursement Authorization. This section must be completed only if the parent borrower authorizes the UW to release the balance of the PLUS Loan directly to the student (after tuition and fees have been paid). If this section is completed, PLUS funds will be disbursed directly to the student after all eligible charges on the tuition account have been paid.
If this section is left blank, the PLUS loan proceeds will be applied to pay tuition and fees on the student’s account, and any balance will be mailed (by check) directly to the parent borrower.
When the PLUS Application Letter has been completed, return it to the Student Fiscal Services Office (either in-person at 129 Schmitz Hall, by fax at 206/685-2942 or by postal mail in the return envelope provided).
Sign the e-MPN (if required)
If the parent borrower has not borrowed from the PLUS program previously, a Master Promissory Note (MPN) must be signed. Signing electronically will expedite the application process, and can be done on the government’s Department of Education website:
If the parent borrower prefers to sign a paper MPN, request one from the Student Fiscal Services Office: click the Live Chat button to talk to an SFS representative, and include the student’s name and student number in your message. Upon request, a paper MPN will be printed and mailed to the Permanent address on file within five business days. To confirm or change your Permanent mailing address, log into MyUW and follow the “change of address” link.
PLUS loan credit approval
All PLUS loans go through a credit approval process which generally takes 5-10 business days to complete. The parent borrower will be notified by mail by Direct Loans as to whether the loan was approved or denied.
If approved (and all required documentation is complete), the funds will be released and applied to tuition and related fees. Any excess funds will either be mailed to the parent borrower, or released directly to the student, as instructed by the parent borrower on the Loan Application Letter.
If denied, Direct Loans will mail application materials for an Endorser to the parent borrower. To check on the status of an Endorser application or for additional information, the parent borrower should contact Direct Loan Applicant Services at 1-800-557-7394.
If the parent borrower chooses not to re-apply with an Endorser, the student may bring the letter of credit denial to the Office of Student Financial Aid to request additional funding from the Unsubsidized Stafford loan program (to replace the Parent PLUS).