Whether you're a first-time borrower unfamiliar with the financial aid process, or a returning borrower who needs a quick refresher, we can help. Listed below is information on the steps that you'll need to go through to get your financial aid, however if you have any questions during the process please feel free to contact us!

What do you need to do?

First-Time Student Loan Borrowers
You might be a little overwhelmed, which is expected, as the financial aid process can be daunting. That's why we've tried to make it easy on you with our Federal Loan Checklist. Hopefully this checklist will cut down on time-consuming phone calls and exhaustive Internet searches and provide you with a comprehensive listing of what you need to do!

Returning Student Loan Borrowers
You're returning to school, and you're familiar with student loans. But just in case you don't remember all the details, we've put them all here for you in this website. So you can find out what's available to you in financial aid, and what you'll need to do to apply.

• The first step is to understand exactly how much money you'll need. Our financial aid tools can help.
  
  
• Before you even think about borrowing, search the world over for scholarships and grants. We're a good place to start. You might be able to help pay for school through work-study programs, too.
  
  
• Then, find out what's available in federal loans. Through the Federal Family Education Loan Program, you might qualify for loans that are interest-free while you're in college. This program has loans available to students and parents regardless of income level.
  
  
• If you can't get all of your tuition and expenses funded through grants, scholarships and federal loans (Stafford, PLUS and Grad PLUS), you may want to look at private loan options from SunTrust. With these private loans, you can even borrow money for a computer to use at school.
  
  
• If you or your parents have any type of property, it might make sense to explore other loan options for getting the money you need for tuition.