Direct Loans

Click here for a brochure with information regarding the Direct Loan program

Getting Started:
  1. Important: You will need your Department of Education issued PIN (the same PIN used for the FAFSA) in order to complete and electronically sign your new electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) under the Direct Loan Program.  If you have forgotten your PIN or do not yet have one, please go to www.pin.ed.gov to have your PIN sent to you.
  2. Have your social security number, date of birth, and driver’s license number accessible.
  3. You will also be required to provide two personal references (full name, address, and telephone number) whom you have known for at least three years.  Each reference provided must reside at a different U.S. address as well as different from the student's address.

*Note to Continuing Students:  If you are a continuing student and you previously borrowed a student loan from a lender on ETSU’s lender list, your lender will automatically be notified that you are still attending school.  You will receive an automatic deferment of repayment on your previous loan while you are attending college.  You must be enrolled in and attending at least 6 credit hours every semester to receive an automatic deferment.

If you have both Direct Loans and loans from other lenders, before your repayment is scheduled to begin you can apply to consolidate your loans.  This can greatly reduce the monthly payment on your loans.  For more about consolidation, visit Federal Direct Consolidation Loans Information Center.


Part One: Accepting Your Stafford Loan

You will need to log in to your Goldlink account and click on the Financial Aid tab.  You will then be able to view and accept your Award. 

Part Two: Completing the Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling

To receive the Federal Stafford Loan with ETSU, you will also need to complete the Stafford Direct Loan Entrance Counseling at http://www.studentloans.gov/. After you complete the entrance counseling, you will be given a confirmation number. Please print this out and keep for your records. ETSU will be notified that you completed your entrance counseling.

Click here for an informational video about entrance loan counseling.

Part Three: Complete a New Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN)

Once you have accepted your loan, ETSU will send your loan information to Direct Lending. You will be able to complete the electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) before or after ETSU sends your loan information to Direct Lending, but they will not process your eMPN until they receive the information from ETSU.

To complete your eMPN, you will need to go to the Direct Loan eMPN website and click on “Complete New MPN for Student Loans”.  Remember that you will need your Department of Education issued PIN to begin the process.

An eMPN can be completed in 9 steps. We estimate that it will take 30 minutes to complete the eMPN process. Make sure you allow enough time to complete the entire process in a single session. If you exit the web site before submitting your signed MPN in Step 8 and return later, you'll have to start over beginning with Step 1.

Step 1  -    PIN Registration

Step 2 -     Disclosure and Consent

Step 3  -    Provide Name and School

Step 4  -    Complete MPN

Step 5  -    Review/Read Draft MPN

Step 6  -    Sign Your MPN

Step 7  -    Review signed MPN/Enter Confirmation Code

Step 8  -    Confirm Acceptance of MPN Terms and Submit MPN

Step 9  -    Success! Now Print Your MPN

Once you complete the eMPN process correctly, ETSU will receive notification electronically that you have completed your MPN.  This will allow the ETSU Financial Aid Office to continue working on your loan disbursement process.

Your loan documents from the Department of Education may list a specific disbursement date for your student loan(s).  Please note, this is the date the lender plans to send the funds to ETSU.  Once funds are received at ETSU, they must go through an automated process that applies your loan money to your student account.  Balance of aid refunds are generated and direct deposited or mailed (if you did not sign up for direct deposit) once this automated process has run.  You should allow 2-3 days after the disbursement date listed on your lender’s materials before you will receive your loan money.  You can see when your loan money applies to your student account and when your balance of aid refund is made by viewing your student account on GoldLink.  To sign up for Direct Deposit, log into your GoldLink account click on the 'Student and Financial Aid' tab and click on 'Student Account' tab.

  • If you have a financial aid Unsatisfactory Academic Progress hold and you are not in good standing, check your grades to make sure all were reported. If there is a problem with one of your grades, please contact the instructor.
  • If all grades have been turned in, you may still have a financial aid Unsatisfactory Academic Progress hold because of a late low grade.

Direct Loan Interest Rates