Presentation Outline (continued):
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” »««

Glossary of Common Direct Loan Terms

This section, beginning on page 29 of the Borrowers’ Guide, gives you a quick
reference sheet and simple definitions of the terms most commonly used in discuss-
ing Direct Loans.

Note to Counselor: Borrower Information/Rights and Responsibilities Checklist—
Pages 33 and 34 of the Berrowers’ Guide is a tear-out sheet that can be used to
document students’ attendance at exit counseling and to collect required information.
Make sure that students are instructed to fill in all the requested information and to
read the “Rights and Responsibilities" summary printed on the back of the page
before they sign the certification on the front.

In the notices you send to students about exit counseling sessions, you may wish to
remind them to bring the required reference and employer information with them to
the session. You may also want to bring local telephone directories to the session to
help students who live nearby to collect this information.

The borrower's rights end responsibilities summary is reprinted on the inside back
cover of the Borrower's Guide. Therefore, after students have completed the tear-out
sheet on page 33 and returned it to the school, they will have a copy of the information
for their records.

Wrapping Up the Presentation
When closing the session, you might add information about:

Vv local consumer counseling services that can help borrowers if they have difficulty
managing their finances and

v joining the school's alumni association as a means of networking and locating
employment prospects.

Ask your students if they have any remaining questions. Finally, let borrowers know
that both the Direct Loan Servicing Center and the school are always there to help
them.

a
18 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program aU



Presentation Outline:
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” ++«

Note to Counselor: The following presentation outline is written as a script so that you
can read from it directly or use it as 2 guide in preparing your own presentation.

Facts About Repaying Your Direct Loans

Pages 2-19 of the Borrowers’ Guide presents information about aspects of repayment
such as the Servicing Center, interest rates, repayment plans, deferment, prepayment,
and consolidation.

v The U.S. Department of Education's Servicing Center will help you manage your
loans until they are paid in full.

WV Repayment begins six months after you graduate, withdraw, or drop below half-time

enrollment.
: W The interest rate is variable and will be adjusted each year. i
Io Capitalizing interest means the unpaid interest will be added to the total amount you :
: owe. .
Repayment Plans

Beginning on page 5, the Borrowers’ Guide describes the four repayment plans. These
plans are intended to make repayment as easy as possible for you. The plans are the
Standard, Extended, Graduated, and Income Contingent Repayment Plans.

If you can show that none of the four plans adequately meets your needs, you may, at
the discretion of the U. S. Secretary of Education and on a case-by-case basis, be
offered an alternative repayment plan.

A Direct Consolidation Loan may further simplify your repayment by allowing you to
muke one monthly payment for all your federal loans. Consolidation is discussed
beginning on page 13 of the Borrowers’ Guide. For more information about Direct
Consolidation Loans students should contact ED’s toll-free Consolidation number,
1-800-557-7392.

12 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program 14



Regulatory Requirements
In accordance with 34 CFR
685.304(b), when conducting exit
counseling, a school is respon-
sible for:

> informing the borrower of the
average anticipated monthly
payments for the borrower's
loans (student-specific materi-
als the Direct Loan Servicing
Center prepares upon request
may be used for this purpose);

» reviewing the available repay-
ment options (that is, the
Standard, Extended, Gradu-
ated, and Income Contingent
Repayment Plans) and loan
consolidation;

» suggesting debt-management
strategies the school deter-
mines would assist the bor-
rower in repaying the loans;

» reviewing the conditions under
which the borrower may defer
repayment or obtain discharge
(cancellation) of loans;

> requiring the borrower to
provide any changes to the
institution's records concerning
his or her
vw name,

v address,

v Social Security Number,

Vv references,

v driver's license nurnber and
state of issuance, and

name and address of
expected employer;

» providing any changes to the
borrower information listed
above to ED within 60 days of
receiving the updated informa-
tion;

>» emphasizing the seriousness
and importance of the repay-
ment obligation the borrower
has assumed;

> describing “in forceful terms”
the likely consequences of
default, including a damaged
credit rating, legal action being
taken against the borrower,
and forced repayment by wage
garnishment; and

> explaining to the borrower how
to contact the Direct Loan
Servicing Center.

Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors

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seeeeeceeee >



Notes



Direct
Loans

William D.Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

July 1997

U.S. Department of Education *600 Independence Avenue, SW * Washington, DC 20202
23



Presentation Outline (continued):
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” =*+sscsseeeseneuaues

Consequences of Default

On page 20 of the Borrowers’ Guide, default is defined, and the serious consequences of
default are listed. Default occurs when a borrower is more than 180 days late in making a
loan payment. The federal government will use every means at its disposal to collect Direct
Loans. if loans are not repaid, this can result in

V the entire unpaid balance and accrued interest on your loan becoming immediately due
and payable;

W loss of deferment options;

W loss of eligibility for additional federal student financial aid;

V placement of the loan account with a collection agency;

~ adamaged credit rating;

V loss of your federal tax refunds;

V an increase in your total debt resulting from late fees, additional interest, court costs,
collection fees, attomey’s fees, and other costs;

W your employer, withholding (garnishing) part of your wages and giving them to the
federal government (at the federal government's request);

V the federal government taking legal action against you.

Managing Records

Page 21 of the Borrowers’ Guide encourages you to keep good records, to maintain copies
of all Direct Loan documents, and generally to be organized in managing your loans. Some
important records are

U canceled checks used to make payments on the loan (or bank account statements
showing the same information) and

copies ct all correspondence sent to, or received from, the Servicing Center. (You might
want to get a certificate of mailing at the post office when sending correspondence to
the Servicing Center. so you will have a record of what was sent and when it was sent)

Note to Counselor: The information review on page 22 of the Borrowers’ Guide includes a
seff-quiz for students. This is a good point in the presentation to have students take the quiz.

16 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program 1 8



8

If students at your school previ-
ously borrowed from the Federal
Family Education Loan (FFEL)
Program, it is important they
understand the differences
between those federal loans and
Direct Loans. For example, many
of the loan terms are similar, but
the repayment options differ (see
pages 5-9 of the Borrowers’
Guide). Remember that for these
students, you will need to suppie-
ment these Direct Loan exit
counseling materials with FFEL
information.

Students who have obtained
different types of federal student
loans may benefit from Federal
Direct Consolidation Loans (see
Page 13 of the Borrowers’ Guide).
A Direct Consolidation Loan will
simplify repayment for these
borrowers because they will make
only one payment a month that
covers all their loans. Interested
students should contact ED's toll-
free Consolidation number,
1-800-557-7392.

You need to remind borrowers
that it is essential that they stay in
contact with the lender(s) of any
other federal student loans they
have received and that ail of their
federal loans remain in good
‘standing.

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

Necessary Equipment and
Facilities

The exit counseling video is easy
to show to student borrowers. The
only requirements are a television
{or monitor) and a VHS-compat-
ible VCR,

You also need to be confident that
your video presentation and
facility are accessible to al
students and that arrangements
are made to accommodate any
borrowers with special needs. The
video is closed-captioned for
hearing-impaired students. You
might need to make preparations
for students who use wheelcha."s
or those who are blind or visually-
impaired.

Accompanying Materials
Materials helpful to distribute to
your students during exit counsel-
ing sessions include:

» the Exit Counseling Guide for
Borrowers for the Direct Loan
Program;

» student-specific materials the
Servicing Center has prepared
upon your request;

» the Direct Loan promissory
note and disclosure statement;

16



Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors

Administrative | -.----
Considerations

Presenters of loan counseling information should be sensitive to students’
varying levels of understanding of the terms of their loans and their
repayment responsibilities. Some student borrowers will be anxious about
the prospect of repaying a loan, perhaps for the first time. Be sure to let
students know that help is always available from the school's financial aid
office and from the Direct Loan Servicing Center, even after they have left
school. Make sure your students have (or know how to locate) the address :
and toll-free telephone number to the Servicing Center location that

services their loan account. That information will appear on all correspon-
dence that the student receives from the Servicing Center.

7 5



Secretary’s
Recommendations

The U, S. Secretary of Education
(Secretary) also recor.. ends that
your school's exit counseling
sessions include other topics,
listed in Appendix D of 34 CFR
668, such as:

> reminding borrowers to keep
the Direct Loan Servicing
Center (Servicing Center)
informed of any changes in
name, address, telephone
number, employer, or enroli-
ment status that might occur
during the lives of their loans;

> reminding borrowers that they
are obligated to repay the full
amounts of their loans, plus
interest, even if

W they do not complete their
program of study (for
reasons other than school
closure or false certification
of loan eligibility), or

W they do not like their
schools or programs of
study, or

¥ they do not obtain employ-
ment after completing their
programs of study;

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

> reviewing critical information by
having students complete the
review exercise on page 22 of
the Borrowers’ Guide;

> counseling borrowers on
budgeting and other aspects of
personal financial planning;

> reviewing loan provisions for
deferment, forbearance, and
discharge (cancellation);

> informing borrowers there is no
penalty for early repayment of
their loans;

> reviewing borrowers’ rights and
responsibilities;

> reviewing loan terms and
conditions, including interest
rates and loan fees;

> reminding borrowers to
contact the Servicing Center if
they have questions or any
difficulty making a payment;
and

> providing guidance on prepar-
ing correspondence to the
Servicing Center and complet-
ing deferment forms.

Most of these topics are covered

in the Borrowers’ Guide.



Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors

Presentation Outline (continued):
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” =«

Important Information

Page 23 of the Borrowers’ Guide provides space for you to record answers to questions and
other important information, such as

VW how to obtain your academic transcript from the school;

W the school’s address and telephone number; and

V the services offered by the school's career planning or placement office.

Note to Counselor: This is a good time to give students this information and to give them the
average anticipated monthly payment amounts for their loans. Upon your request, each Direct
Loan Servicing Center location will provide you with customized (student-specific) information
for the students it services.

Budgeting

Pages 24-28 of the Borrowers’ Guide advises you on the importance of budgeting as a means
of selecting an appropriate repayment plan and managing your Direct Loan obligations
successfully. The Borrowers’ Guide uses a step-by-step approach to help you ~reate and
maintain a budget.

V Budgeting your resources will help you manage your loan(s) successfully.

UV Budgeting your money means

: » calculating your income,

: » calculating your expenses, and

.

. » calculating the difference.

”

.

: WA budget planning worksheet is provided on page 28 of the Borrowers’ Guide.
'

.

-PPPrrrTrrTTTrTTrerrirrirrrirrr itt iiti teeter

17

19



month. This list then would be
used to identify Direct Loan
borrowers and to notify them of
the date, place, and time of the
legally required exit counseling
session. It will, of course, be more
difficult to find out n1 advance that
students are dropping below half-
time status or withdrawing;
however, your school should make
every effort to contact these
students about exit counseling.

Students should be strongly
encouraged to attend these
counseling sessions. Your schoo!
should consider sending written
notices—a letter, a postcard, or
other form of communication—to
inform your students of the
sessions. In these notices, you
may wish to emphasize the
importance of the session and
that it presents a valuable oppor-
tunity to get the repayment
process off to a good start.

Your school may take even
stronger measures and develop
institutional policies that preclude
students from receiving diplomas
or obtaining academic transcripts
until they have completed exit
counseling. Such measures are
taken at the discretion of the
institution or the state and are not
regulated by the U. S. Secretary of
Education, although the Secretary
supports such measures.

Understanding the Direct
Loan Program and the
Role of the Direct Loan
Servicing Center

Your students should already
understand that their loans were
made to them by ED and they
should have already received
communications from the Direct
Loan Servicing Center.

Although there are several Direct
Loan Servicing Center iocations
(with separate addresses and
telephone numbers), borrowers
will always have only one Servic-
ing Center to deal with, even if
they take out several Direct Loans
or transfer from one school to
another. The address and tele-
phone number to the Servicing
Center location that services your
students’ loan accounts will
appear on all correspondence the
students receive from the Servic-
ing Center. Students should
always use that information to
contact the Servicing Center. If
students should ever misplace
that information, they can call
1-888-447-4460 and they will be
routed to the appropriate location.
Borrowers are responsible for
repaying their loans and must stay
in contact with the Direct Loan
Servicing Center during the life of
their loans.

Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors



ED 432 931
TITLE
INSTITUTION

PUB DATE
NOTE

AVAILABLE FROM

PUB TYPE
EDRS PRICE
DESCRIPTORS

IDENTIFIERS

ABSTRACT

DOCUMENT RESUME

HE 032 230

Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors. William D. Ford
Federal Direct Loan Program.

Department of Education, Washington, DC.

1997-07-00

23p.; One component of a six-item “Counseling Kit" that
includes "Entrance Counseling Guide for Counselors" (ED 424
832), “Entrance Counseling Guide for Borrowers" (ED 424
833), "Exit Counseling Guide for Borrowers" (ED 427 641),
and two videotapes.

U.S. Department of Education, Loan Origination Center, P.C.
Box 5692, Montgomery, AL 36103-5692; Web site:

http: //www.ed.gov/DirectLoan/bulletin/1997/d1b97-20.html
Guides - Non-Classroom (055)

MFO1/PCO1 Plus Postage.

*Compliance (Legal); *Counseling; *Debt (Financial); Higher
Education; Loan Default; *Loan Repayment; Money Management;
Student Financial Aid; *Student Loan Programs; Student
Responsibility

*Exit Interviews; *Federal Direct Student Loan Program

This guide is intended to help school financial aid

administrators meet the requirement that they provide in-person exit
counseling to borrowers of Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans (direct
subsidized) and Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans (direct
unsubsidized). The guide is intended to be used with a companion video and a
guide for borrowers. The first section identifies specific regulatory
requirements regarding counseling borrowers who graduate, withdraw, or
otherwise cease to attend school at least half-time. This is followed by a
list of recommended topics for inclusion in school exit counseling, such as
reviewing borrowers' rights and responsibilities. The next section addresses
administrative considerations, including organizing counseling sessions
understanding the role of the Direct Loan Servicing Center, and documenting
exit counseling. Suggestions for the exit counseling presentation are then
offered; they include showing the video, reviewing the student-borrower's
guide, and answering questions. Emphasis is on explaining to students the
various repayment plans, the consequences of default, and budgeting. (DB)

FOI IG IIIS IIIA ISS IEISISI IIE SII II IOI III II III ee

* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *

*

from the original document. *

FES III III ISIS IS OSI ISI IIS III IIIA IIIS GIGI III IIE II IO IG TIO



Your Presentation

Federal regulations require exit counseling sessions to be conducted in
person. To enhance those sessions, use of a video is allowed t der
Appendix D, 34 CFR 668. A schoo! official with knowledge of Title IV
programs should be present both during and after the video preseniation
to lead the discussion and answer questions. This individual could be the
financial aid administrator, business officer, or other trained individual.

Exit Counseling Tips

These exit counseling materials, including the video and Borrowers’ Guide,
provide basic information about borrowers’ repayment obligations and,
with one exception, include the information necessary to meet the U. S.
Department of Education's Direct Loan counseling requirements. The
school must add information about the borrower's average monthly
payment amount, as discussed on page 3 of this Counselors’ Guide. The
school may use student-specific materials prepared by the Servicing
Center to satisfy this requirement.

The video and Borrowers’ Guide are designed to help borrowers manage
their loans successfully once they leave school. While students might not
remember ail the information, they are likely to remember the sources.
where they can find answers when tr need them.

Various debt-management strategies are presented throughout the
Borrowers’ Guide and in the video. Topics such as budgeting, selecting a
repayment plan, loar: consolidation, prepayment, and staying in touch with
the Servicing Center can all be included in a disci .sion of ways to man-
age debt.

After showing the video, the school official should be prepared to answer
questions, to review the Borrowers’ Guide, and to reinforce points made in
the video. Topics might include calculating a realistic out-of-school budget
using actual income and expenses, choosing the repayment plan that is
right for the individual student, loan consolidation, and discussing terms
such as grace period, discharge (cancellation), capitalized interest, prepay-
ment, deferment, forbearance, and defauit.

It is a good idea to make a record of the questions commonly asked
during exit counseling sessions and then create a question-and-answer
sheet to use as a handout in later sessions or to include in loan information
packets for students.

10 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program 1 2


> the Direct Loan borrowers’
rights and responsibilities
statement;

>» acopy of your school's policy
for requesting/releasing
academic transcript informa-
tion and a sample transcript
request form; and

> information about your school's
career planning or placement
services.

Additionally, we suggest you
stamp your school's name,
address, and telephone number in
the “For School Use" box on the
back cover of the Borrowers’
Guide.

Documenting Exit
Counseling

Federal regulations require that
schools maintain documentation
in the borrower's file to show that
the borrower received the required
exit counseling either in person or
by rnail. When signed, the tear-out
“Borrower Information/Rights and
Responsibilities Checklist” sheet
(pages 33 and 34 of the Borrow-
ers’ Guide) will satisfy this docu-
mentation requirement. As part of
the school's presentation, stu-
dents can be asked to complete
the forms and hand them to a
school official before they leave
the session. When schools must
mail the exit counseling material to
students, they may want to
include a cover letter that instructs
students to complete and return
this tear-out sheet to the school
after reading the exit counseling
material.

Remember that federal regula-
tions require schools to report
changes in a borrower's name,
address, Social Security Number,
references, driver's license
number and state of issuance,
and name and address of the
expected employer within 60 days
of receiving this updated
information.

11

Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors



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seeeeeneeeseeaee Organizing Counseling
Sessions

The content of your exit counsel-
ing sessions should be based
partly on your school’s student
demographics and available
resources. For example, the
number of Direct Loan borrowers
“exiting” your school at a given
time may determine whether the
counseling is done on an indi-
vidual or a group basis. This also
will influence the number of
sessions offered, their timing, and
the size of the rooms to use.

Other factors. such as your
school’s graduation rate or default
rate, might affect which areas of
the counseling material you want
to emphasize in your presentation.

Scheduling Counseling
Sessions
Most students attending in-
person exit counseling will be
preparing to complete their
programs of study. Because these
; students tend to get busier as the
end of the term or program
approaches, your school should
plan to conduct exit counseling
sessions in advance of the “final
crunch." This will help ensure a
higher attendance rate and a more
attentive audience.

Exit counseling should be made
convenient for students. If your

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

school has a number of commut-
ing students, you might offer
sessions on weekends or eve-
nings. If yours is a residential
campus, you might want to
conduct sessions in dormitories in
the evening.

Seating limitations and group size
will also affect scheduling. For
optimum participation for stu-
dents, group sessions should
have no more than 30 borrowers.
Sessions larger than this might
discourage questions or make it
difficult for you to answer alll
student questions adequately. If
groups are too large, it is difficult
to evaluate the effectiveness of the
counseling sessions. You may use
a survey or questionnaire to
evaluate your counseling sessions
and to determine what has been
most effective for your students.

Notifying Borrowers
Because a school is required to
conduct in-person exit counsel-
ing, it is important that your
school has a procedure in place
for predicting when individual
students will be leaving your
school. For example, the financial
aid office could obtain from the
registrar's office a list of students
who are scheduled to graduate or
complete a program in a given



Notes



What Is Required ...........cs00sss00

2 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

Aschool participating in the Direct
Loan Program is required, by law,
to provide in-person exit counsel-
ing to borrowe: . of Direct Subsi-
dizec' ! oans and Direct Unsubsi-
dized Loans shortly before these
borrowers graduate, withdraw, or
otherwise cease to attend school
at least half-time.

An exception to the in-person
requirement is made for borrow-
ers in correspondence programs,
to whom a schoo! may mail
written counseling material within
30 days after the borrower
completes the program.

If a borrower withdraws from
school without a school’s knowi-
edge, or if a borrower fails to
attend a scheduled exit counsel-

ing session, a school must mail
the written exit counseling material
to the borrower at his or her last
known address. The materials
must be mailed within 30 days
after a school learns either that
the borrower has withdrawn or
that the borrower failed to attend
the scheduled counseling session.

Aschool must maintain documen-
tation in the borrower's file to
show that the borrower received
the required exit counseling. either
in person or by mail. On page 33
of the Borrowers’ Guide, you will
find a tear-out sheet that may be
used for this purpose.



Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors

Presentation Outline (continued):
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” +ssesuseecuseneeuans

The four repayment plans are explained in depth in the Borrower's Guide. in brief, they
are as follows:

1. Standard Repayment Plan: Under this plan, you would make a fixed payment of
at least $50 a month for up to 10 years. For most borrowers, this plan results in the
lowest total interest paid, because the repayment period is the shortest of all the
plans. However, for most borrowers, Standard repayment will result in a higher
initial monthly payment amount than they would have under another plan.

2. Extended Repayment Plan: Under this pian, you would make a fixed payment of
at least $50 a month over a period that varies from generally 12 to 30 years,
depending on the tota! amount of Direct Loans borrowed. Since you generally will
take at least 12 years to’ repay under this plan, the monthly payment amount will be
lower than it would be under Standard repayment for the same loan amount.
Remember, though, the longer you take to repay a loan, the more interest you will
pay. [Note: The repayment period could be less than 12 years for borrowers with
lower loan amounts because of the required $50 payment each month.]

3. Graduated Repayment Plan: With Graduated repayment, you would make
payments over a period that varies from generally 12 to 30 years, depending on the
total amount of Direct Loans borrowed when your loans go into repayment. The
monthly payment amount increases every two years. If you expect to start out at
one income level, then increase to a higher level over time, this may be the best
plan for you. Note that no payment may be less than 50 percent or more than 150
percent of the payment amount you would make under Standard repayment.

However, the payment must cover the amount of interest that accumulates
monthly.

4, Income Contingent Repayment (iCR) Plan: This plan is designed to make the
monthly payment amount sensitive to your income. The monthly payment amount
will be calculated and adjusted annually based on your annual Adjusted Gross
Income (AGI) and the total amount owed. Also, the amount may not exceed 20
percent of your discretionary income, which equals your Adjusted Gross Income
minus the poverty level for your family size, as determined by the U. S. Department
of Health and Human Services. ICR is designed to provide you the flexibility to
meet your loan obligations y.'thout causing undue financial hardship. Under ICR,
you may ‘ake up to 25 years to repay your loans. Periods of repayment under the
Standard arid 12-year Extended plans are counted toward the 25-year totai.
(Periods of payment under ihe Graduated Repayment Plan or an alternative
repayment plan will not be counted toward your 25-year repayment period) After
25 years, any remaining balance on the loan will be forgiven; the amount forgiven,
however, is considered taxable income.

semasaee
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13

15



Exit Counseling Gui-'s for Counselors

Presentation Outline (continued):
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” ***

Other Repayment Provisions

Pages 13-19 of the Borrowers’ Guide explains related repayment concepts, such as consolida-
tion, prepayment, deferment, forbearance, and discharge (cancellation).

Vv You can consolidate your Direct and certain non-Direct federal student loans to make
repayment easier.

W You may prepay all or part of your Direct Loans at any time, without penalty.

ai you have problems repaying your loans, you should contact the Servicing Center to see if
you qualify for deferment or forbearance; or if you should change repayment plans.
Remember. periods of deferment or forbearance are not included in the total number of
years allowed for repayment under any plan.

VW Loans can be discharged under certain circumstances.

VW You may be able to obtain assistance repaying your loans from a state or local agency,
employer, private organization, federal agency, or the military.

V Transferring from one schoo! to another does not necessarily mean your loans wili go into
repayment. Contact the Servicing Center to find out your optic as.

Vv If you return to school at least half-time after your loans have entered repayment, you may
qualify for an in-schoo! deferment. Again, contact the Servicing Center to find out your
options.

1? 15



Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors

Contents

What IS REQUIPOC! ooo. eeeeeeesteeeteenteeseaeees
Administrative Considerations .......cccc0
Your Presentation ..
Presentation Outline: “Reviewing

the Borrowers’ Guide”’............ besteeesenneees 2

Introduction

This Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors (Counselors’ Guide) is designec to help
school financial aid administrators present effective exit counseling sessions for
borrowers of Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans (Direct Subsidizec Loans) and
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans (Direct Unsubsidized Loans). Both
loans are part of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loan
Program).

This Counselors’ Guide, the companion video, and the Exit Counseling Guide for
Borrowers (Borrowers’ Guide), along with the entrance counseling materials,
constitute the Counseling Kit, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. The exit
counseling materials highlight key loan repayment information and financial man-
agement concepts. Suggestions for using the video and coordinating it with the
Borrowers’ Guide are provided at the end of this Guide.

Financial aid administrators can use these materials to organize their presentations,
focus on the issues they believe to be most important to their students, and cover
the information necessary to comply with U. S. Department of Education (ED)
regulations governing exit counseling (84 CFR 685.304[b)).

ED is providing these materials to schools as optional counseling tools. Schools are
not required to use them.

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program is authorized by Title IV, Part D, of
the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.



ED 432 93)

HE 082 730

Exit Counseling

Guide for Counselors

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE



Exit Counseling Guide for Counselors

Recommended 4-Step Exit Counseling = «**"*

1. Introduce the Session. Give students an overview of what they will be
seeing and what you will be discussing during the session.

2. Show the Video. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. It covers
most of the critical information that borrowers leaving school need to know.

3. Review the Exit Counseling Guide for Borrowers. Before answering
questions, you might want to go over the Borrowers’ Guide with students to
make additional points and to emphasize important concepts, such as the
Servicing Center, repayment plans, and consequences of default. For your
convenience, the following pages provide a presentation outline. The outiine
closely follows the Borrowers’ Guide.

4, Answer Questions. The school should provide a financial aid expert
(this is likely to be you) to answer questions after the video ends and after
the Borrowers’ Guide has been reviewed.

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Presentation Outline (continued):
“Reviewing the Borrowers’ Guide” «++s+0seuesueenenun

On page 11 of the Borrowers’ Guide is a chart that shows estimated beginning monthly
payment amounts under each of the four plans. The chart illustrates how, given the same
amount of Direct Loans, the monthly payment amount and total amount repaid can vary under
each of the plans. You can use these comparisons to help select a plan or just to get an idea
of how much you will be repaying. The interest rate is variable, and is adjusted once a year on
July 1. For all Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans in repayment, regardless of the date
the loans were made, the interest rate is equal to the 91-day Treasury bill rate plus 3.1 percent-
age points. By law, however, your interest rate can never 2xceed 8.25 percent. (The monthly
payment amounts shown in the chart were calculated on the basis of the maximum interest
rate of 8.25 percent)

Down the left side of the chart, initial debts ranging from $2,500 to $100,000 are shown.
Across the top, the four repayment plans are displayed. To use the chart, find the point where
the debt row and the repayment plan column meet. There you will find the estimated begin-
ning monthly payment amount and the total amount repaid if you choose that plan. For
example, if you owe a total of $20,000 at the time your loans enter repayment and you want to
repay your Direct Loans under the Extended Repayment Plan, you would pay $170 a month,
repaying a total of $40,899.

Under the Income Contingent Repayment Plan, choose the income level that most closely
approximates your income when you enter repayment. For example, if you owe $20,000 and
expect to earn $15,000 a year when you enter repayment, you would start out paying $119 a
month and would repay a total of $46,910.

Shortly before you *re scheduled to begin making payments, the Direct Loan Servicing
Center will contact you to request that you select a repaymeni plan. It is important that you
respond to this notice because if you do not choose a plan, your !oans will be placed in the
Standard Repayment Plan. You may change plans at any time and for any reason as long as
the maximum repayment period under your new plan is loner than the amount of time your
loans have already been in repayment. (There is a restriction on switching plans if you are
repaying a defaulted loan under the Income Contingent Repayment Plan. You should check
with the Direct Loan Servicing Center)

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14 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program 1