Exit Counseling

Exit Counseling is a requirement by the Department of Education for all undergraduate and graduate students who have borrowed a Federal Student Loan and are graduating from their program of study, leaving school, or dropping below half-time enrollment for any reason.
Exit Counseling can be found at studentaid.gov under the dropdown “MANAGE LOANS”. There will be a link that says “Complete Exit Counseling”. You can also find out who your Loan Servicer is under “MANAGE LOANS”.

Shenandoah University Exit Counseling Document
- This document answers some FAQ surrounding Federal Student Loans. This is a fillable document that can help you keep a record of who your loan servicer is, when your monthly loan payments are due, etc.
Repayment: What to Expect
- This short video clip explains when Repayment begins for students who have borrowed Federal Aid and gives an overview of Repayment Plan options that are available.
Student Loan Repayment Options
- This video gives a more in depth explanation of the Repayment Plan options available for your Federal Student Loans.
Federal Student Loan Forgiveness
- This link explains what Student Loan Forgiveness is and goes over the different types of Forgiveness available that you may qualify for.

Students have a 9-month grace period after they graduate, leave school or drop below half-time status, before entering repayment.
Students may have longer than 9 months if they are on active duty in the military.
Students may be allowed up to 10 years to repay.
Students should contact ECSI (Heartland) – 1-888-549-3274, to make repayment plans

Students have a 9-month grace period after they graduate, leave school or drop below half-time status, before entering repayment.
Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE), and Income Based Repayment (IBR) repayment options are not available to Federal Perkins Loan borrowers. However, if a borrower’s Federal Perkins Loan is consolidated into a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan, then some of these repayment options may become available.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness is not available to Federal Perkins Loan borrowers. However, if a borrower’s Federal Perkins Loan is consolidated into a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan, then this loan forgiveness may become available.
Students should contact ECSI (Heartland) – 1-888-549-3274, to make repayment plans

Private/ Alternative loans are not part of the Federal Student Aid Program.
To make payments on these loans you will need to contact your private loan lender directly and set up a repayment plan.
These loans may not have the same grace period as Federal Direct Loans.