Brown University shieldBrown University

Loan Process - Application, Requirements, Disbursement

Application

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and any other required documentation for financial aid. The Office of Financial Aid or the Alpert Medical School Office of Financial Aid will create your financial aid offer. 

Undergraduate students wishing to borrow loans should complete the Loan Request Form in Banner Self Service by following the link to ‘Request Loans or Accept Loan Offers’ in the ‘Undergraduate Students’ options menu. (Learn more about the Brown Promise)

Accept Aid Offers

Review and Accept/Decline financial aid offers. Students must accept or decline loans online through Banner Self Service beginning May 2nd each academic year. Go to the Financial Aid tab, select Accept Award Offers, complete the information, and “Submit Decision” . Students can choose to accept the full amount offered, a partial amount based on what is needed, or decline any loan.  

Complete All Requirements

Review Unsatisfied Requirements in Banner Web Self Service.  Immediately after you accept loans, scroll down to view any Unsatisfied Requirements and related instructions.

Direct Loan requirements can be completed online immediately through studentaid.gov but will not be updated in Banner until we import the information from the Department of Education. ( Students complete the Direct Loan Master Promissory Note and Direct Loan Entrance Counseling.  Parents and Grad/MD students wishing to borrow PLUS Loan, review the PLUS Loan Application process and requirements.)

Institutional Loan materials will be created once per week on Thursday evenings and you will receive a detailed email once the materials are ready to be completed online.  Borrowers must wait to receive this email and then complete requirements at https://www.ecsi.net/prome7/.  

Disbursement

All loan requirements must be completed and the scheduled disbursement date must pass before loan funds will be disbursed (paid) to the student account. Loan funds are typically scheduled to disburse a few days before the semester begins. If the loan disbursement results in a credit balance on the student account, students may request an electronic student account refund. Refunds will be processed beginning on the first day of classes.

Plan Ahead

  • Keep track of borrowing each year - Visit the "Manage Loans" section of StudentAid.gov to view your federal student aid history and get federal servicer's contact information. Borrowers can also get details of institutional loans on Banner Self Service.
  • Complete Exit Counseling before leaving school - Exit Counseling is a mandatory requirement whether you are taking a leave of absence, withdrawing, graduating, or enrolling less than half-time.
  • Grace Period- Loans enter a grace period when you leave school. No payments are required, but it's a great time to pay down your debt and reduce your overall cost of repayment. It's also a good time to make decisions about loan repayment, get to know your servicers, and set up online account access. 
  • Repayment - You want to be prepared before your loans enter repayment.