Federal Direct Loan Program

Tri-County Community College (TCCC) participates in the Federal Direct Loan Program. The Federal Direct Loan Program includes Federal Stafford Loans, which are offered to students, and Federal PLUS Loans, which are offered to students' parents. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education rather than a bank or other financial institution.  Direct Loans are federally insured low-interest education loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student’s education after high school.  TCCC students must be enrolled or planning to enroll at least half-time to apply for a Stafford Loan. 

Federal Stafford Loans – These are loans that are borrowed by the student and must be repaid.  Students may receive a subsidized loan and an unsubsidized loan for the same academic period. 

The chart below indicates the loan amounts available to students to borrow per academic year for both subsidized and unsubsidized loans.  Loan amounts will be determined on an individual basis.  The amount a student may borrow will depend upon program of study, enrollment, dependency status, grade level (first year or second year), and if the student is receiving other financial assistance.

Note:  If a student transfers to TCCC from another school within the same academic year and requests loan funds, loan amounts received at another school will be included in the annual limit total allowed when determining the amount of loan funds available for certification at TCCC.

• Federal PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students)  – These are loans that are borrowed by the parents for a dependent student and must be repaid.  Your parent will need to complete the TCCC Federal PLUS Loan Request Form and complete and sign a PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) at http://www.StudentLoans.gov

Step 3: Complete the Financial Literacy Course – one time only

If you are a first time borrower at TCCC, you must complete the Financial Literacy Counseling Course offered by Tri-County Community College. This class is a comprehensive course outlining vital elements of the loan process and procedures, as well as personal budgeting and finance. Please notify Robert Payne (rmpayne@tricountycc.edu or 828-835-4225) in the TCCC Financial Aid office for dates and times of the course and your intent to attend one of the classes.  If the class has been cancelled, those students who have signed up will be notified. All TCCC Financial Literacy Counseling Courses will be held in the McSwain Business Technology wing, room 154, unless otherwise noted.

Step 4:  Complete the Federal Stafford Loan Request Form every academic year 
You must complete the Federal Stafford Loan Request form and meet with the financial aid staff to review your request and submit the form.  Be sure to carefully and accurately complete the form. 

If you or your parent borrower wishes to cancel all or a portion of a loan, the borrower must inform TCCC's Financial Aid Office within certain time frames. A borrower's loan cancellation request will be honored if received before the start of the payment period or if the request is received within 14 days after the loan award was accepted and notification was sent to the borrower of right to cancel loan.

As a direct loan borrower, you are obligated to repay your loan(s) even if you do not complete your program of study, are unable to obtain employment, or are otherwise dissatisfied with the education or other services received.  Repayment will typically begin following a 6-month grace period. Grace periods begin when the student graduates, withdraws, or drops below half-time status (6 credit hours).  As a borrower you must repay your loans with all accrued interest and deducted fees.  Most borrowers generally have 10-25 years to repay loans (depending on the amount owed and the repayment plan you select).  While you are in repayment the minimum monthly payment for each loan is $50 per month, but can be more depending on the amount you borrowed.  These payments must be made directly to your lender. You can also choose to prepay all or part of loans at any time without penalty.  Prepayment will substantially decrease your total interest costs.  Because the Stafford Loan is federally guaranteed, the Federal government can enforce strict penalties if you default on your loan.



When you graduate or leave TCCC, you may want to consolidate your student loans to have only one payment rather than several payments for different loans or payment to different lenders.  For more information on loan consolidation, click on the image below.

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Loan Questions

If you have questions about your current or previous loan, you may contact your lender or the Department of Education Loan Ombudsman at 1-877-557-2575 or through this link: 



If you want to know who services your student loans (your lender) and how to contact the servicer, call the Department of Education customer service line at 1-800-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Loan Information Access

You can review your Federal Stafford Loan balance and/or total debt at the student access website for the National Student Loan Data System by clicking the image below.

Repaying Your Direct Loan(s)