Master Promissory Notes and Entrance Counseling

Required Documents for Federal Loans

Since you’ve accepted a federal student loan as part of your financial aid offer, there are two final steps to completing the loan process. The sooner you complete both steps, the sooner the loans can be applied to your student account. 

1.) Complete and sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN)

This is a legal document that you must read and sign promising to pay back your federal loans. It takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The MPN explains your rights and responsibilities as a student loan borrower and is valid for up to 10 years. 


Undergraduate Students:

  • Go to studentaid.gov/mpn
  • Select “MPN for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans”
  • Log in using your FSA ID and complete the steps to read and sign the MPN

Parents:

If you are a parent of a dependent undergraduate student and you have accepted a Direct PLUS Loan, you’ll need to sign your own MPN.

Graduate Students:

  • Go to studentaid.gov/mpn/grad/landing
  • If you are borrowing a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, select “MPN for Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans.” 
  • If you are borrowing a Graduate PLUS Loan, select “MPN for Direct PLUS Loans.” 
  • If you are borrowing both an Unsubsidized Loan and a Graduate PLUS Loan, please complete both MPNs.
  • Log in using your FSA ID and complete the steps to read and sign the MPN

If you are borrowing a Graduate PLUS Loan, you’ll need to sign a new MPN each year you are borrowing if you have an adverse credit history.

2.) Complete Entrance Counseling

Entrance counseling is an interactive tutorial that shows you how to understand your loans, manage your spending, and make a plan to repay them. You’ll need about 30–60 minutes to complete the tutorial. It uses your actual loan amount, so the tutorial is personalized to your financial situation. 

To complete entrance counseling:

  • Go to studentaid.gov
  • Click “Complete Aid Process” from the main menu
  • Select “Complete Entrance Counseling”
  • Log in using your FSA ID and complete the tutorial 

Check Your Status

Once you've completed both steps, check your MPN and Entrance Counseling completion history by logging in to studentaid.gov using your FSA ID and click your name in the top right corner. Then click “My Documents” and select the “Filter By” options in the dropdown menu to make sure you’ve completed both the MPN and the entrance counseling for your federal student loans.

Nursing Student Loan Promissory Notes

Students participating in the Nursing Student Loan (NSL) program must submit signed promissory notes before loan funds can be paid into your student account. Borrowers of the USF Federal Nursing Student Loan will have an additional requirement of submitting a Student Loan Self-Certification form to USF and will receive a series of Loan Disclosure forms from USF and University Accounting Services (UAS), the servicer of this loan for USF. More information will be sent directly to the borrowers of these loans.

Promissory notes for the Nursing Student Loan will be made available online for e-signature at uasconnect.com. This must be completed each award year. You will be sent an email from uasconnect.com when the site is available. Please note:  FAFSA issued PINs are no longer supported. You will need to create an online account by clicking on the "Create Online Account" button on the UAS web page or by signing in with a previously established UAS username and password. NSL awards will be canceled for those who fail to sign promissory notes.