Loans

Applying for Federal Student Loans

Pearl River Community College (PRCC) is committed to promoting student success through responsible student loan borrowing. Student loans are borrowed money that has to be repaid, with interest, to the U.S. Department of Education.

Loans are automatically included in a student’s financial aid package, but must be accepted through RiverGuide.  Please click here for a helpful guide on how to accept your loans and complete the requirements for Loan Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note. 

To apply for loans at PRCC, students must:

  • Complete PRCC admission requirements and be enrolled in an eligible certificate or degree program. Loans are awarded based on the student’s entire academic history. Therefore, transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended must be submitted to the Office of Admissions.
  • Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If selected for verification, this process must be complete for requested documents and corrections to FAFSA information BEFORE loans will be offered.
  • Accept the amount of loans you want for the year (click here for instructions).
  • Complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note at the Federal Student Aid website.
  • Be enrolled for at least six (6) semester hours. Students who are attending multiple sessions within the semester cannot be paid loans until attendance has begun in six (6) hours.
  • Meet PRCC Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. Click here to view the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Additionally, Loan Exit Counseling is required when a student graduates, leaves school, or drops below half-time enrollment.  Exit Counseling provides important information to prepare students for repayment of federal student loans. Information on Exit Counseling can be found here: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action and https://studentaid.gov/

Loan Revision Requests

If you need to make changes to your student loans, there is a form in RiverGuide to request a loan revision.  On the form, you have the option to increase or decrease your loan amount, cancel your loan, or request the loans to be re-offered to you if they were previously declined.  Instructions on where to find the form in RiverGuide can be found here.

Financial Literacy Information

Student Connections

To provide you additional support, Pearl River Community College has partnered with Student Connections to help you understand your loan repayment commitments and address any issues you may encounter. This service is completely free to you.

Student Connections is passionate about helping students. They partner with schools to provide support for borrowers throughout the student loan repayment process. With more than 60 years of experience in counseling student loan borrowers, their primary goal is to help establish the best repayment plan for you

As you enter student loan repayment, Student Connections may contact you through emails, text messages and phone calls to:

  • Help you understand your loan obligations and responsibilities.
  • Discuss available options for an affordable repayment plan.
  • Ensure you are aware of repayment options during financial hardships.
  • Promote your long-term repayment success. 

Questions about student loan repayment?

Student Connections can help you.

These advocates are available to answer questions about your outstanding loans and, when appropriate, work with you and your loan servicer. Visit www.repaymyloans.org or talk to a borrower advocate for free at (866) 311-9450.

Call us at:
866.311.9450

Student Loan Repayment

The U.S. Department of Education announced a final extension of the payment pause until the end of August 2023.

Pearl River Community College is committed to keeping you updated with changes to the student loan program resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s what you need to know about federal student loans owned by the Department of Education:

  • Federal student loan payments have been paused and interest has been set at 0% due to the COVID-19 emergency. Payments will resume starting in September 2023.
  • If your loan servicer is FedLoan Servicing, Granite State, or Navient, you will be assigned to a new servicer before payments begin. Please be on the lookout for information regarding this change. 
  • If you were enrolled in auto debit payments before the suspension, you may need to take action before payments will resume automatically be withdrawn from your account. Details are available at StudentAid.gov.

Take These Steps Now

ALERT: The Department of Education warns students to avoid scams and to not accept unexpected offers of financial aid or loan forgiveness (such as a “pandemic grant” or “Biden loan forgiveness”) without checking to see if the offer is legit. Scams asking student loan borrowers to pay for loan forgiveness have been common over the last year. Federal student loan repayment and relief options are available at no charge and can be requested through the Federal Student Aid website.

Student Loan Repayments to Restart by September 2023.

Each community college president is asked to bring two (2) wrapped door prizes, minimum value of $50 each. We will have a station set up at the conference for you to drop off the door prizes.

Each community college is asked to provide name tags for their Board members, administration, and staff attending the conference.