Federal Direct Stafford Loan

Terms: 

Information: 
  • Allows students to borrow up to $3500 as a freshman and $4500 as a sophomore per academic year
  • Loans you are eligible to receive will be listed on your Chattanooga State Tigerweb self-service account
  • There is a grace period of 6 months after graduation or dropping below half-time attendance before repayment of the principal of the loan begins.

The Smarter Solutions for Students Act (H.R. 1911) establishes how interest rates will be calculated for federal student loans.

  • Calculates subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans using a formula based on the 10-year Treasury Note plus 2.05 percent.
  • Calculates graduate and parent PLUS loans using a formula based on the 10-year Treasury Note plus 4.5 percent.
  • Resets student loan interest rates once a year, allowing rates to move with the free market and ensuring borrowers can take advantage of lower interest rates when available.
  • Protects borrowers in high interest rate environments by including a 8.5 percent cap on Stafford Loan interest rates and a 10.5 percent cap on PLUS loans.
  • New student loan interest rates starting July 1, 2014:
    • 4.66% Direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans for undergraduate students
    • 7.21% Direct PLUS Loans (Parents of Dependent Undergraduate Students)

Visit http://edworkforce.house.gov/smartersolutions/default.aspx for details about the bill.