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Direct Consolidation Loans allow you to move all of your federal loans into one place and qualify for more income-driven repayment plans. As long as your loans are in the grace period or you’re making repayment, apply by filling out a quick form either online or in person.
Make sure you have the following documents and information before you get started on your application:
You might have come across companies offering to complete your Direct Consolidation Loan application for a fee. The US Department of Education warns that this is unnecessary — you can easily complete it yourself for free. The government and its servicers don’t have any affiliation with companies that offer such services.
Apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan either online or in person. Typically, it takes about 30 minutes if you have all of your information ready.
Follow these steps to get started with your online application:
Don’t want to apply online? You can also download a PDF of the application and fill it out by hand.
Make sure you print using blue or black ink. All dates should be entered using numbers and the format mm-dd-yyyy unless otherwise indicated. If a field doesn’t apply to you, write N/A instead of leaving it blank.
This section is about entering your basic personal information.
For items 11 and 12, the Department of Education requires you to provide the names and contact information for two adults you’ve know for at least three years. They must live at separate addresses in the US and can’t live with you. Under each item, write your reference’s:
Before you do anything else, fill in your name and Social Security number at the top of the page.
For items 13 through 16, fill out the table with each federal loan you’d like to include in your Direct Consolidation Loan. For each loan, you need to have your:
For item 17, enter the month and year your grace period ends if you want to hold off on consolidating your loans until after your grace period is up.
Find your loan code
Again, fill in your name and Social Security number at the top of the page before you do anything else.
For items 18 through 21, follow the same instructions as the previous section by filling out the table with the federal loans in your name that you don’t want to include in your Direct Consolidation Loan.
Read our guide to student loan repayment programs to find the right one for you. Once you’ve selected a plan, follow the FSA’s instructions to download and complete the application for that particular repayment plan. Attach it to your consolidation application.
Enter your name and Social Security number at the top of pages 4 and 5. Then, carefully read the understandings under item 22, certifications under item 23 and authorizations under item 24 to make sure you’re aware of your responsibilities as a Direct Consolidation Loan borrower.
Read the terms and conditions under items 25 through 29, then sign your name under item 30. Enter today’s date using numbers in the format mm-dd-yyyy.
Mail pages 1 through 5, plus your repayment plan application to your loan servicer. Have multiple servicers? Reach out to each to verify where you should send your application.
Your servicer starts processing your application as soon as it receives it. An employee might reach out by phone if they have any questions, so pick up the phone even if you don’t recognize the number.
In the meantime, continue paying off your loans as usual. At some point, you should receive a notice from the US Department of Education with information about your payoff amount — this will be your new loan balance — and a deadline to cancel or change your Direct Consolidation Loan application.
Only start making repayments on your Direct Consolidation Loan after your new loan servicer reaches out to you with instructions. If you have any questions before your servicer reaches out, call the Student Loan Support Center at 800-557-7394.
Applying to consolidate your federal student loans is simple and generally takes less than an hour. But if you have private student loans, you won’t be able to include them in your Direct Consolidation Loan.
Instead, check out our page on student loan refinancing to learn about your options. Or visit our guide to student loans to get an overview of how they work.
How do I add a loan to my Direct Consolidation Loan later?
Add a new loan to your Direct Consolidation Loan by reaching out to your servicer within 180 days of the date it was made. This is the date the first federal loan you consolidated was paid off. Otherwise, you can apply for a new Direct Consolidation Loan to consolidate all of your student loans.
How do I consolidate a loan that’s in default?
Consolidate a loan in default by making three monthly repayments in a row first, or agree to sign up for an income-driven repayment plan.
When do I need to contact my servicer after I get my new loan?
You’re required to inform your servicer if you:
Often you can do this by logging into your account on your servicer’s website.
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