The Direct Loan program provides low-interest loans to qualifying students to assist with paying for educational expenses. Even though a student was not offered a federal student loan in his or her initial financial aid package, U.S. citizens and permanent residents may be eligible to borrow either a subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan. Detailed information about these loans, including maximum borrowing limits, is available on the Loan Office website. Students wishing to borrow loans should complete the loan request form in Banner Self Service by following the link to ‘Request Loans or Accept Loan Offers’ in the ‘Undergraduate Students’ options menu.

The Direct Loan program is a federal loan taken in the student's name. Brown University institutional loans are need-based loans offered to students with high financial need and can be awarded to students who are ineligible for the federal loan program. For either federal or institutional loans, a student needs to be actively enrolled in the term that they are interested in applying for the loan. 

Applying for Brown Institutional Loans

Undergraduate students who wish to apply for loans will complete the loan request form on the "Resources/Additional Information" tab in Banner Self Service through their applicant portal. Processing deadlines do apply so it is also important that students inquire about loan eligibility as early in the term as possible.

You will need to complete a promissory note and entrance counseling in order to have these loans processed to your student account. The Loan Office sends emails directly to the student's Brown email account with instructions. Details concerning the various loan programs, along with applicable interest rates for the academic year are available on the Loan Office website.