Federal Student Loan for September 2025 through August 2026

If you are interested in applying for a federal student loan for the 2025-2026 aid year, you can proceed once you receive a financial aid email notification regarding your ability to apply for a federal student loan OR an aid offer notification indicating your FAFSA application has been reviewed, and your grant aid has been awarded. You must be enrolled for at least 6 credits (half-time) of financial aid eligible credits. The processing of your 2025-2026 federal student loans may take up 2 to 3 weeks and you will receive multiple confirmation emails once your loan has been processed.

1. Additional Federal Student Loan Information

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.

2. Federal Direct Student Loan Entrance Counseling

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.

3. Federal Direct Student Loan Promissory Note

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.

4. Federal Direct Student Loan Online Form

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.

5. What Happens Next

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: studentaid.gov OR https://studentaid.gov/h/manage-loans