Student Accounts - Guide for Student Borrowers
Truman State University - Federal Perkins Loan Program
Information Concerning Student Borrowers' Rights, Responsibilities, Benefits, and Billing
Truman State University - Student Accounts Office.
Exit Interview.
Changes in Address.
Starting Repayment.
Length of Repayment.
Whom Do I Repay?.
Repayment Begins.
Advance Payments.
Delinquency and Default.
Rehabilitation of a Loan Default.
Deferment Benefits.
Perkins Loan Deferment Changed.
Post-Deferment Grace Period.
How Often Must I File Deferment Forms?.
Forbearance.
Low Income Status.
Cancellation Benefits.
Death or Permanent and Total Disability.
U.S. Army Repayment Program.
For Your Information.
Questions.
Truman State Student Accounts Office
The Students Accounts Office is the central billing and collection office for Truman State University. Once you are no longer in attendance at Truman-- whether by graduation, withdrawal, or a change in status to less than half-time, all correspondence and payments for Perkins and Nursing loans are to be directed to the Student Accounts Office. Please contact us at:
Truman State University
Student Accounts Office
105 McClain Hall
Kirksville, MO 63501
660-785-4152
All borrowers are required to complete an exit interview prior to discontinuing enrollment through graduation or for any other reason. This process will be conducted by the Student Accounts Office, 105 McClain Hall. Your repayment schedule will be established during the exit interview.
If you have an address or name change, it is your responsibility to notify our office:
- Contact our office by phone at 660-785-4152, or by e-mail at rkennard@truman.edu ; or
- Note it on your coupon or statement when making payment.
Repayment begins at the end of your initial grace period, which is determined by the regulations in effect at the time the loan was granted. The grace period will be either six or nine months following your separation from the loan-granting campus. A nine-month grace period applies to loans granted prior to October 1, 1980 and after June 30, 1987. A six-month grace period applies to loans granted from October 1, 1980 to June 30, 1987.
An explanation of conditions to defer repayment will follow in a later section, along with information on the six-month post-deferment grace period.
Federal Perkins Loans have a maximum ten-year repayment period. A $40 minimum monthly payment is required for loan borrowers with a disbursement after October 1, 1992, who have no outstanding principal or interest owing on any Perkins, Direct, or Defense loans.
The length of repayment is determined by the total amount borrowed, the interest rate and the repayment amount. Review your promissory note(s), any addendum, or the repayment agreement section of your exit interview form.
Payment is to be made by check or money order to Truman State University. NEVER SEND CASH. Be sure to enclose coupon or the bottom portion of the billing statement with your remittance. Please include your account number and "Perkins Loan" or "Nursing Loan" on all correspondence to the Student Accounts Office.
During the grace period, you will receive periodic reminders of when your repayment begins. The Student Accounts Office will send coupons before the first scheduled payment is due. Your repayment amount will include the principal and interest needed to repay your original loan amount, and the accruing interest over the life of your loan, if payments are received as scheduled.
You are expected to make payments promptly. Late charges are assessed for late payments. Payments must be made between the first and the fifteenth of the month. Late fees are assessed on payments received after the 15th of the month. Should your payment not arrive by the 15th, a reminder notice will follow. Mail your payments as early as possible to ensure timely credit.
If you wish to accelerate repayment of your loan (repay ahead of schedule), you may do so by making payments larger than the amount required. Any additional amount remitted on a current account will be applied to the principal. Accelerating repayment shortens the repayment term and reduces the total interest that you will be required to pay.
If you send payment in advance for future installments, please include the coupons for the payments you are making and attach a separate note stating that the additional funds (which must be a multiple of your regular payment amount) are to cover future payments. Otherwise, the additional amount will be applied toward the principal of your loan.
Allowing your account to become delinquent can seriously affect your personal credit rating. The University must withhold services to you if you become a defaulted borrower. Should you default, requests for transcripts will not be honored. Should you attempt to register at another school, your registration may be blocked and you will not be eligible for any additional Federal Title IV aid, including Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Family Educational Loans, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Federal Pell Grants, and Federal College Work Study.
If repayment is not made according to the terms of the contract, regulations also allow for the referral of delinquent accounts to a collection agency and if necessary to an attorney for litigation. As the borrower, you will be held responsible for all of the resulting penalty, collection, and litigation costs as provided in the promissory note.
Rehabilitation of a Loan Default
As of July 1, 2000, any borrower who has a loan in default may seek rehabilitation. To request your loan be rehabilitated, contact us at the address above. To qualify for rehabilitation, you must first request it, then you must make 12 consecutive, on-time monthly payments.
Once a loan is rehabilitated, it will be returned to normal billing status, any report of default made to credit bureaus will be removed, and Title IV eligibilty will be restored.
A loan may only be rehabilitated one time.
The following provisions are explained on your promissory note. The date on which you signed for your loan disbursement(s) dictates which provisions apply specifically to you. You must refer to your promissory note to determine eligibility for benefits and the maximum length of time of deferment.
Deferment for Perkins and Direct loans disbursed on or after July 1,1993:
- Half-time or greater enrollment
- Approved graduate fellowship study, including graduate or postgraduate fellowship-supported study (such as a Fulbright Grant) outside the United States
- Approved rehabilitation training programs for disabled individuals
- Seeking and unable to find full-time employment
- Economic hardship as defined under the regulations
- Engaged in certain types of service that qualify for cancellation of the loan, including law enforcement or correction officer, Peace Corps or ACTION Program volunteer, military service in a designated area of hostility, nurse or medical technician providing health services, teacher in a Head Start Program, teacher in a designated low-income school, teacher of special education, teacher in a shortage field, provider of early intervention services, or provider or supervisor providing services to high-risk children from low-income communities.
Deferment for Perkins loans disbursed before July 1, 1993 and on or after July 1, 1987 and Direct loans disbursed before July 1, 1993 and on or after October 1, 1980:
- Half-time or greater enrollment
- Eligible internship or residency program
- Peace Corps or ACTION Program volunteer or full-time volunteer for a tax-exempt organization comparable to Peace Corps or ACTION
- Member of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard or a member of the National Guard or the Reserves serving a period of full-time active duty in the armed forces
- Officer in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service
- Hardship
- Temporarily totally disabled or unable to work because the borrower is required to care for a spouse or other dependent who is so disabled
Additional deferments for Perkins loans disbursed before July 1, 1993 and on or after July 1, 1987:
- On full-time active duty as a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps
- Up to one year if the borrower is a mother of a preschool-age child, working or returning to work at a salary that is no more than $1.00 above the minimum hourly wage
- Up to six months if the borrower is pregnant or caring for a newborn or newly adopted child
Deferment benefits on Direct loans disbursed prior to October 1, 1980 or Defense loans prior to July 1, 1972 can be obtained by contacting the Student Accounts Office.
Perkins Loan Deferment Changed
If you received a Perkins Student Loan before July 1, 1993, you may be eligible for additional deferments. They are for borrowers who are in one of the following categories as of October 7, 1998 and are not retroactive:
- Rehabilitation Training
- Graduate or Post-Graduate Fellowships
- Unemployment Hardship
- Economic Hardship
- Forbearance
A six-month post-deferment grace period will follow an approved deferment on loans granted after October 1, 1980, with the exception of hardship deferment.
How Often Must I File Deferment Forms?
A deferment form must be filed with the Student Accounts Office at least once a year for each year you are in an eligible status. The Truman State University Student Accounts Office is required by federal regulations to assess a late charge when forms are not submitted in a timely manner. Failure to file forms in a timely manner is equivalent to not making timely payments and can negatively affect your credit rating.
Forbearance is a temporary postponement of payments, an extension of time allowed for making payments, or the acceptance of smaller payments than were previously scheduled. Interest will continue to accrue during any period of forbearance. Forbearance must be requested in writing, and adequate documentation that supports a financial inability to make payments must be provided. Forbearances are approved for periods from 1 month to 12 months and cannot exceed a collective maximum of three years.
Low-income debtors who meet specific qualifications may extend their repayment period up to an additional ten years, may adjust the repayment schedule to reflect their lower income or both. Contact the Student Accounts Office for specific information.
The 1998 Amendments of Higher Education changed eligibility requirements for loan cancellation effective October 7, 1998. Loan cancellations previously eligible only for loans awarded after July 1992 are now available to all Perkins borrowers. You may be eligible if you are working full time in the following fields: nursing, medical technician fields, teachers of mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education and special education, and as a law enforcement officer (enforcing criminal law).
Some restrictions may apply. Check your promissory note or contact the Student Accounts Office for eligibility information and appropriate forms.
Cancellation is also available for the following situations:
Teaching or other related services of an educational nature in:
- a federally designated low income school
- special education including teachers of infants, toddlers, children or youth with disabilities
- a federal Head Start Program
- a shortage field as determined by the state education agency
Military Service:
- full-time active duty (for loans prior to July 1, 1992)
- full-time active duty in an area designated for hazardous duty pay (for loans on or after July 1, 1992)
Peace Corps or ACTION Program volunteer (applies only to new Perkins Loan borrowers after July 23, 1992)
Early Intervention - a provider of early intervention services in a public or nonprofit program under public supervision.
Child/Family Service - a provider or supervisor in a child or family service agency providing services to high-risk children from low-income communities
Law enforcement or correction officer
Nurse or medical technician
If you are working in a position which you believe will qualify for cancellation benefits, a form requesting postponement/deferment of repayment must be filed at the start of the school or service year. Cancellation forms must be submitted at the completion of the school or service year. Failing to file forms in a timely manner is equivalent to failing to make timely repayment and can result in late fee assessment and can also negatively affect your personal credit rating.
Death or Permanent and Total Disability
The outstanding loan balance may be canceled in the event of death or permanent and total disability of the borrower. The Student Accounts Office should be contacted for specific instructions.
The U.S. Army offers a loan repayment program for borrowers of a Perkins or Direct Student Loan for service in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves, or in the Army National Guard. For more information, contact your local military recruiting office.
Due to various State and Federal laws governing confidentiality of records, we cannot disclose any information about an account to anyone other than the borrower without the express written permission of the borrower.
Please call (660) 785-4152 for additional information. E-mail us at rkennard@truman.edu