Applying for a Student Loan

Typically, students who are applying for student loans must first complete the necessary financial aid application process described under “Financial Aid Applications and Forms” section. Reviewing the Financial Aid Application Checklist and Financial Aid Manual will make students aware of which forms to complete. 

Once the student’s application is complete, the Financial Aid Office will review the applicant’s eligibility for the aid for which they applied and send the student a Financial Aid Award Letter. Once their award letter is received, students will be provided additional instructions regarding what they must do in order to receive the aid offered to them based on their eligibility.

International students or those students who are choosing to ONLY apply for private education loans, should review the information pertaining to private education loans below.  These students should also refer to their program’s cost of attendance.

Students who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents who have completed the financial aid application process will receive an award packet containing the Award Notification Letter and Student Loan Handbook which provides detailed instructions for completing actual loan application requirements. Completion of the Award Notification Letter and returning it to the Financial Aid Office in a timely manner is very important.

The Award Notification Letter is the tool the student will use to communicate which types of financial aid awards/loans they’re accepting and provides the dollar amount of each loan the student wishes to borrow to pay for their educational costs. Upon receipt, the Financial Aid Office will update the student’s financial aid record, which will trigger additional requirements the student must complete in order to obtain the student aid which they have accepted. These additional requirements will be viewable online through your SIS account.

To complete loan application requirements for loans that you’ve been awarded (and have accepted per your Award Notification Letter), click on the appropriate drop down(s) below.

Financial Aid Award Notice

Once the student has reviewed their financial aid award notice and made any required updates to the loan amounts, they must submit the signed award notice through the secure box portal below. The award notice must be signed prior to submitting it. Written or electronic signatures will be accepted but typed or font signatures will not be permitted. Post-graduate students are required to submit their completed loan disbursement worksheets (LDW), also through the portal.

Learn more about the Financial Aid Award Notice process.

HPSL and LDS Borrowers

Recipients of Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) or Loans for Disadvantaged Loans (LDS) are required to return the Award Notification Letter to the Financial Aid Office. The borrower will receive email instructions shortly after July 1st directing them to UAS Connect to complete an electronic master promissory note (MPN) and/or to electronically accept their loan award along with a Self-Certification Form. Note that only first-time borrowers at TUSDM will be required to complete the MPN. As the borrower completes their MPN, they receive required online student loan entrance counseling. First time borrowers as well as repeat borrowers will receive certain disclosure information online which should be reviewed carefully.

Tufts Loan Borrowers

Tufts Loan recipients are required to return their Award Notification Letter to the Financial Aid Office. The borrower will receive an instructional an email shortly after July 1st instructing them to complete their Tufts Loan promissory note, Self-Certification Form and review disclosure information available at UAS Connect.

All first-time borrowers of William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans are required to complete a Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) at https://studentaid.gov unless they borrowed Federal Direct Loans previously at a different school and it hasn’t expired. Borrowers may call the Federal Direct Loans Origination Center at 800-557-7394 to determine if they have an active and valid Direct Unsubsidized MPN on record. The Student Loan Handbook provides step-by-step instructions to complete the Federal Direct Loan MPN.

Legacy borrowers can continue to receive Grad PLUS. A new Grad PLUS only needs to be completed if the previous Grad PLUS MPN expires and/or isn’t considered valid or the student was required to add an endorser to their prior Grad PLUS loan. Borrowers may contact the Federal Direct Loan Origination Center at 800-557-7394 to determine if they have an active and valid MPN on records. The Student Loan Handbook provides step-by-step instructions to complete the Grad PLUS MPN. Legacy borrowers are defined as:

  • The student was enrolled in a program of study at an institution as of June 30, 2026;
  • They received at least one Direct Loan (Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan or Grad PLUS) for such program of study prior to July 1, 2026; and
  • The student is currently enrolled at the same institution in the same program of study and have not ceased to be enrolled in the same program at the same institution at any point on or after July 1, 2026. An approved leave of absence is not considered to be a break in enrollment.
  • If the student’s leave of absence did not qualify as a federally approved leave, the student was considered to have withdrawn from TUSDM and thus would not have been considered enrolled at the institution as of June 30, 2026. As a result, should the student return to TUSDM, the period of leave is considered a break in enrollment thus the student will be considered a new borrower in those circumstances.

When completing the Federal Direct Grad PLUS MPN, the borrower is providing authorization for the Federal Direct Loan Originations Center to run a credit check. If the borrower’s application is denied, the borrower may pursue an appeal and, if necessary, add an endorser to the loan. If appeal is successful or the Grad PLUS loan is approved with an endorser, the borrower will be required to complete additional student loan entrance counseling. The Federal Direct Loan Originations Center will explain the appeal and endorser addition processes. Credit checks for subsequent Federal Direct Grad PLUS loans will be performed if the existing credit check on record is older than 90 days.

If you’re borrowing Federal Direct Loans or Federal Direct Grad PLUS loans for the first time at TUSDM, you are required to complete entrance counseling before the Financial Aid Office can certify your eligibility for either of these loans.

Complete student loan entrance counseling for Federal Direct Loan and Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan.

Award Notification Letters for students who are ineligible for Grad PLUS because they are considered new borrowers will have their maximum private education loan eligibility noted on their award notice. Students who choose to borrow private education loans must apply directly with their lender of choice. Please refer to the information and instructions about Private Education Loans section. Please review the information in that section carefully. Note that students can select a private education loan lender of their choice and are not required to use a lender listed on TUSDM’s Preferred Lender List.

Refer to the instructions contained in the Student Loan Handbook to determine if additional forms are required of you. These may include the Title IV Authorization Form or, if you are a post-graduate student, the Loan Disbursement Worksheet. These forms, along with the Student Loan Handbook and a Student Loan Application Checklist are contained in the document list below.

Additional Loan Application Requirements and Print Forms: