To fulfill current federal and UCLA requirements, a potential borrower of a Federal Direct (Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized) Loan or a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan must complete online Entrance Counseling via this Entrance Counseling Portal prior to receiving loan funds.
You must complete the appropriate online Entrance Counseling if you are:
- an undergraduate or a graduate/professional student borrowing for the first time at UCLA
- a graduate/professional student who completed a DMS/EE prior to April 23, 2008 and is now applying for a Graduate PLUS (GPLS)
You must complete Entrance Counseling at UCLA once as an undergraduate student and once as a graduate/professional student.
(Note: Graduate/Professional students who have completed Entrance Counseling as a UCLA undergraduate need to take the graduate/professional Entrance Counseling only if applying for a Grad PLUS Loan.)
STUDENTS OFFERED CA OR UNIVERSITY DREAM LOANS
Students who are offered and accept a CA or University Dream Loan are NOT REQUIRED to complete this online Entrance Counseling process in order to receive these types of loans. The required entrance loan counseling for a CA or University Dream Loan will be provided when e-signing the loan documents.
SB 1289 Required Notice ( Federal Student Loans versus Private Student Loans )
Students considering student loans need to be aware of the differences between federal student loans and private student loans:
- Federal student loans are required by law to provide a range of flexible repayment options including, but not limited to, income-based and income-contingent repayment plans, as well as loan forgiveness benefits that private lenders are not required to provide.
- Federal direct loans are available to most students regardless of income. Other qualification criteria do apply. For more information, please visit https://www.studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility.
- Private student loan lenders can offer variable interest rates that can increase or decrease over time, depending on market conditions.
- The interest rate on a private loan may depend on the borrower’s and/or co-signer’s credit rating
- Private student loans have a range of interest rates and fees and students should determine the interest rate of, and any fees associated with, the private student loan included in their financial aid award package before accepting the loan. Students should contact the lender of the private student loan or their UC campus’ financial aid office if they have any questions about a private student loan.
Some UC campuses offer students their own private (institutional) student loans. Students offered a UC institutional private student loan should know that:
- Interest rates on UC loans will be fixed, not variable
- UC loans can have a range of interest rates
- UC loans are not awarded based on the credit history of the borrower
For questions concerning Entrance Counseling, please contact Loan Services.