For more information visit: emergency.wvu.edu
Loan funds cannot disburse as payment to your WVU MyAccount until all requirements have been completed. If you are offered a Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loan as part of your financial aid offer, before it can disburse you must:
Students who have been offered Federal Direct Loans as part of their financial aid offer must accept the loan.
First-time borrowers must complete BOTH Entrance Counseling and their Master Promissory Note (MPN).
You must be enrolled at least half-time for the semester in federal and state aid-eligible courses for loans to disburse as payment.
Please be aware that there are borrowing limits for federal loans. Visit our Federal Loan Borrowing Limits webpage for additional details.
Federal loan requirements include:
Students should follow the steps below carefully. There are multiple loan types, counseling options, and loan agreement options on the Federal Student Aid website. It is very easy to do the incorrect requirements for the incorrect loan types. Please note these steps can vary depending on if you are on a computer or mobile device. There are also multiple ways to navigate the site. These steps are the most consistent across devices.
It is crucial that student borrowers complete their own requirements.
A student's FSA ID log in information serves as a legal signature that should not be shared with anyone, including family, school personnel, or loan servicers. Completing a student borrower's loan requirements on their behalf is fraudulently representing yourself as the student.
Once completed, loan requirements roll forward every year for your subsidized or unsubsidized loans - so you do not have to keep doing them! The counseling does not expire. The MPN is good for 10 consecutive calendar years. You may need to complete the requirements again if you transfer to another institution - but not if you transfer to another WVU campus.
The University usually begins receiving these loan files starting at the end of May for the upcoming academic year. Once we start receiving those files for the aid year from the federal government, we are usually notified that you have completed your requirements within 3 business days of submission.
Exit counseling is required any time a federal loan borrower drops below half-time enrollment
These situations may include, but are not limited to:
Students who may need to complete exit counseling are sent notifications to their MIX and/or personal emails. They may also receive a letter to the permanent address listed on their student account if they do not have a non-WVU email address on file.
Please note that if you have a Federal Perkins Loan or institutional loans, you must complete another exit counseling process in addition to federal exit counseling. You will receive a separate communication from Heartland/ECSI regarding how to complete this second exit counseling.
After graduating, leaving school, or dropping below half-time enrollment, federal loan borrowers typically enter a grace period, meaning they do not have to make payments on their loans for a set amount of time. You can find out more about the grace period on the Federal Student Aid Student Loan Repayment website. Even if you don't have to repay your loans right away, there's still a lot to consider and plan for. That's where exit counseling comes in.
Exit counseling is a process that provides information about your federal loan servicer and can help you understand the details of repayment - such as when repayment starts, how to repay, repayment plans, and what to do if you have trouble making payments. Do not delay!
You’re not alone when it comes to student loans. West Virginia University has partnered with ECMC Solutions to provide you with FREE assistance on your federal student loan obligations. For more information, please visit our ECMC Solutions webpage.
Exit counseling must be completed in a single session, so please plan accordingly. Most students take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete the process online, and you can get started by following these steps:
If you would prefer not to complete exit counseling online, you may also read the Direct Loan Exit Counseling Guide, fill out the "Student Contact Information and Acknowledgement" pages at the end, and return those to us. However, completing your exit counseling online will satisfy your requirement faster, and the online information provided may be more up to date.