Here's what actually affects Whatcom Community College students…

What’s staying the same?

Your annual and aggregate limits for Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans are **not changing**. If you're a dependent undergraduate borrowing $3,500–$6,500 a year, or an independent student borrowing $9,500–$12,500 a year, those amounts remain the same.

What's changing?

1. Enrolling 6 to 11 credits now reduces your loan amount.

   Starting in 2026–27, if you're enrolled 6 to 11 credits, your loan eligibility for that term will be prorated based on your credit load, not just your grade level. You still need to be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for loans. 

   Example A: A first-year student who is normally eligible for $5,500/year maximum but enrolls in 6 credits (of a 12-credit full-time load) in fall would be eligible for $1,527 per quarter.

   Example B: Returning students enrolling in only one quarter: In the past, if you enrolled full-time in a single quarter you may have been eligible to receive your full annual loan limit for that one quarter. That's no longer true. Starting in 2026–27, your loan amount is based on your total credits across all the quarters in the academic year — not just the quarter you're actually attending. For example, an independent first-year student eligible for $9,500/year at a college with three 12-credit quarters (36 credits for a full-time year) who enrolls in only one 12-credit quarter would receive: 12 ÷ 36 = 33% of $9,500 ≈ $3,135 for that quarter — even at a full-time course load. There is no course load in a single quarter that can bring a student back up to the full annual amount if they aren't enrolled in the other quarters of the year.

2. New lifetime borrowing cap.

   Starting in 2026–27, there's a new lifetime limit on federal student loan borrowing across undergraduate, graduate, and professional study, with no more than $57,500 of that available to borrow while you're an undergraduate. The new lifetime limit on federal student borrowing is $257,500. This is well above what most of our students borrow, but it matters if you're transferring credits from other schools or continuing into a bachelor's program.

3. Parent PLUS loan changes.

If you are a dependent student and your parent plans to borrow a Parent PLUS Loan on your behalf for a loan first made on or after July 1, 2026, the new annual limit is $20,000 per year, with a $65,000 lifetime limit per student. (Previously there was no fixed dollar cap — parents could borrow up to the full cost of attendance.)

What this doesn’t affect…

These changes do not affect loans you've already received, and most of the changes above (proration, lifetime cap, Parent PLUS) matter most for continuing bachelor's-track students, part-time students, and dependent students whose parents borrow. If none of that describes your situation, your borrowing likely won't look any different.

Questions?

This page reflects our current understanding of the law; some details are still being finalized through federal rulemaking, and we'll update this page as guidance comes out.

Contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@whatcom.edu with questions about your specific situation.

You must open the link below and read carefully even if you have previously borrowed at WCC or another institution. Loan requirements and processes change from aid year to aid year, and the link below includes updated information for the 2025-2026 aid year.

Click here for information regarding interest rates, borrowing amounts and levels.

Complete the counseling session at https://studentaid/gov/entrance-counseling/ if you have not yet done so previously, all borrowers are required to complete this one time. This step can take 20 to 30 minutes to complete. Using your FSA ID, click the “Log In” button and complete the “Entrance Counseling.”

Return here when completed for Step 3.

Complete the master promissory note at https://studentaid.gov/mpn/ if you have not done so at Whatcom Community College. This is the actual loan application. Using your FSA ID, click the “Log In” button and click Complete Loan Agreement (Master Promissory Note). Please read and follow all instructions carefully. Be sure to select the “undergraduate” option as there are multiple promissory notes used in the direct lending process.

Please note that MPNs expire after 10 years once disbursed on and after just 12 months if no disbursement is made, if in doubt you should complete again.

Return here when completed for Step 4.

Complete the 2025-2026 Federal Direct Student Loan Online Form.

Unless instructed to do so by the Financial Aid Office, do NOT submit an additional Online Form for the 2025-2026 aid year to request an adjustment. Additional Online Forms will NOT be processed and be discarded.

See Step 5 below for information regarding loan processing and/or requesting adjustments.

The financial aid staff at WCC begins the certification (or processing) of your loan request once we receive your Online Form, if we cannot confirm completion of Entrance Counseling (Step 2) and/or MPN (Step 3) you will see these items as required on your 'To Do's' in ctcLink, as well as receive an email notification. Please note that without Steps 2, 3 and 4 being completed, disbursement and refund of loan funds cannot happen even if you see the loan(s) included on your awards.

Please note, if you do not complete the outstanding "To Do" by the deadline indicated on the "To Do," the pending loan will be cancelled.  Monitoring your "To Do's," even after aid is awarded or when applying for a loan, is VERY important as they will block aid from disbursing or refunding.

Please allow a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks after submission of all three requirements (Steps 2, 3, and 4) to process your loan request AND for our office to disburse and refund if the quarter has begun. Please be aware that during certain periods, such as registration or at the beginning of each quarter, processing times will be longer.

Please contact finaid@whatcom.edu if you have questions regarding your submitted request. Do NOT submit an additional Online Form unless instructed to, additional forms will be discarded.

If there are questions or issues that prevent us from processing your loan as requested, you will be contacted via email.

If needing to adjust an existing 2025-2026 loan, please send an email requesting your adjustment to studentloan@whatcom.edu

Once processing is completed you will receive a Financial Aid Offer indicating your loan amounts and the quarters. Additionally, an email is sent to notify you that a message is available to view in "Message Center" regarding your loan debt as required by state or federal rules and regulations.

Student loans, like other financial aid, are not disbursed to student accounts until just before the beginning of the quarter, actual refunds of remaining credit balance on student account begin on the first day of the quarter. 

You can also view your loan award in ctcLink by selecting the Financial Aid Tile and then 2026 for the 2025-2026 Financial Aid Year. Loans, like grants or scholarships, will show in the Award Summary. You can see processing information by selecting the "loan info" link beside each loan award.

Parent PLUS loans

If you and your parents are interested in a Parent PLUS loan, you can view additional information HERE and request a packet of information.

Private or Alternative Education Loan processing at WCC

If you have applied for a private or alternative education loan with an outside lender, please view WCC's processing information HERE.

If you have difficulties, please contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@whatcom.edu

Contact Information

Federal Student Aid

Phone: 800.433.3243

Web: Federal Student Aid OR Manage Loans