Obtaining Information on Your Federal Student Loans
After your Federal Direct Student Loan is disbursed to your student account for the first time, the Department of Education will assign your student loan account to a single loan servicer who will handle all disbursement, billing and payment receipt information on the government’s behalf.  Each year any new Federal Direct Student Loans you borrow should be assigned to that same single loan servicer.
To find out who your loan servicer is and how to contact them, and to obtain information about your Federal Direct Student Loans including outstanding balance and loan status,  please visit the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and log in using your FSA ID.
Student and parent federal loan information submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is accessible by guaranty agencies, lenders, servicers, and schools determined to be authorized users of this data system, involved in the federal student loan program(s).
Loan Repayment Examples and Calculations
Loans accumulate over the years you attend school. Once you have an idea of the total amount of federal student loans you may be taking, you can estimate your monthly payment amounts.
Below are samples of an undergraduate and graduate student who borrow the maximum in Direct Stafford Loans over the course of their program enrollment. The monthly payments are estimates. A loan servicer, assigned by the Department of Education, will notify borrowers when their monthly payments are due and will advise them of the exact amount.
Undergraduate student example
An undergraduate student completes a degree in four years and borrows the maximum per year.
| Freshman | Â |
|---|---|
| Subsidized (or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan) | $3,500 |
| Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $2,000 |
| Total | $5,500 |
| Sophomore | Â |
|---|---|
| Subsidized (or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan) | $4,500 |
| Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $2,000 |
| Total | $6,500 |
| Junior | Â |
|---|---|
| Subsidized (or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan) | $5,500 |
| Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $2,000 |
| Total | $7,500 |
| Senior | Â |
|---|---|
| Subsidized (or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan) | Â $5,500 |
| Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | Â $2,000 |
| Total | Â $7,500 |
| Total borrowed for four years | $27,000 |
Calculated Repayment Estimate
| Interest Rate:Â | 6.8.% |
| Loan amount: | $27,000 |
| Repayment Plan | Term (in months) | Initial Monthly Payments | Total Payments (Interest + Principal) |
| Standard | 120 | $310.72 | $37,286.03 |
| Extended | Payment plan is only available for loan balances greater than $30,000 | ||
| Graduated | 120 | $179.23 | $40,212.57 |
Standard Repayment:Â With the standard plan you will pay a fixed amount each month until your loans are paid in full. Your monthly repayments will be at least $50, and you will have up to 10 years to repay.
Graduated Repayment:Â With the graduated plan your payments start out low and increase every two years. The length of your repayment period will be up to ten years. Your monthly payment will never be less than the amount of interest that accrues between payments. Although your monthly payment will gradually increase, no single payment under this plan will be more than three times greater than any other payment.
Graduate student example
A graduate student accumulates $27,000 in Direct Stafford Loans as an undergraduate and continues to borrow for one year as a full-time graduate student.
| Graduate: | Â |
| Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $20,500 |
| Undergraduate | Â |
| Prior undergraduate debt | $27,000 |
| Total borrowed for five years | $47,500 |
Calculated Repayment Estimates
| Interest Rate:Â | 6.8% |
| Loan amount: | $47,500 |
| Repayment Plan | Term (in months) | Initial Monthly Payments | Total Payments (Interest + Principal) |
| Standard | 120 | $546.63 | $65,596.79 |
| Extended – Fixed | 300 | $329.68 | $98,905.27 |
| Extended – Graduated | 300 | $269.17 | $107,122.76 |
| Graduated | 120 | $315.30 | $70,585.07 |
Standard Repayment:Â With the standard plan you will pay a fixed amount each month until your loans are paid in full. Your monthly repayments will be at least $50, and you will have up to 10 years to repay.
Extended Fixed Repayment:Â To be eligible for the extended plan, you must have more than $30,000 in loan debt, but you have 25 years to repay it. Under the fixed option of the extended plan, payments are the same amount each month you are in repayment, as with the standard plan.
Extended Graduated Repayment:Â With the extended graduated plan your payments start out low and increase every two years. The length of your repayment period will be up to 25 years. Your monthly payment will never be less than the amount of interest that accrues between payments. Although your monthly payment will gradually increase, no single payment under this plan will be more than three times greater than any other payment.
Graduated Repayment: With the graduated plan your payments start out low and increase every two years. The length of your repayment period will be up to ten years. Your monthly payment will never be less than the amount of interest that accrues between payments. Although your monthly payment will gradually increase, no single payment under this plan will be more than three times greater than any other payment.
