Exit Loan Counseling
The timely repayment of your student loans is important to maintaining a good credit history, especially if you wish to consider applying for future consumer or student loans. Therefore, it is important to know who owns your loan, when your payments are due, how to make a payment, and your total amount of indebtedness. Federal regulations require that all students who have borrowed from the federal loan programs receive exit loan counseling. Exit loan counseling provides details regarding a borrower’s rights and responsibilities for student loan repayment, deferment options, and loan consolidation benefits.
Online Exit Loan Counseling
Students who have borrowed from the Stafford/Direct Loan programs must complete online counseling sessions. Not sure which loans you have borrowed? Review your borrowing history through insideND or access information on your federal student loan borrowing history through the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Website.
Federal Direct Student Loan and/or Graduate PLUS Loan for Graduate Students
To complete the online exit counseling session you will need your FSA ID used to complete your FAFSA. If you do not remember your FSA ID, you may retrieve your username and password.
Additional Resources
If you have questions after completing the mandatory online exit counseling please contact our office to schedule an in-person appointment.
Approximately 33.5% of Notre Dame students borrow under the federal student loan programs. The most recent official three-year cohort default rate among Notre Dame students who have entered repayment is 0%, effective September 30, 2023. This compares to the national cohort default rate of 0% for the same period. Note: This has been affected by the pause on federal student loan payments that began on March 13, 2020.
Average Indebtedness of Notre Dame Graduates1
Note: Not all borrowers will have borrowed every type of loan listed below
| Type | Undergraduate Students | Graduate Students |
|---|---|---|
| Subsidized Stafford/Direct Loan Average | $9,400 | $10,636 |
| Monthly Payment Estimate | $100 | $126 |
| Unsubsidized Stafford/Direct Loan Average | $14,319 | $37,978 |
| Monthly Payment Estimate | $143 | $352 |
| Federal Perkins Loan Average | $5,420 | $3,961 |
| Monthly Payment Estimate | $67 | $50 |
| Total Federal Student Loan (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Perkins) Average | $21,307 | $38,067 |
| Monthly Payment Estimate | $224 | $378 |
1 Based on students graduating in May 2022 as of March 10, 2022
Loan Consolidation Information
Federal Direct Consolidation Loans are available for most federal loans, including FFELP (Stafford, PLUS, and SLS), FISL, Health Professional Student Loans, NSL, HEAL, Guaranteed Student Loans, and Direct loans. Loan consolidation is not for everyone but many graduating student borrowers have effectively refinanced their loans through this federal program in recent years, simplifying loan repayment and lowering monthly payments.
Borrowers should first give a thorough review of the terms and conditions being offered by their lender. Check the lender's website and make a careful decision.
Additional information on federal loan consolidation is available from the Department of Education.
Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group
The Ombudsman Group is dedicated to helping resolve disputes related to Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, and Guaranteed Student Loans. If you’ve completed the steps to resolve your loan dispute and you still are not satisfied, you may need to contact the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Ombudsman Group of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The Ombudsman Group is a neutral, informal, and confidential resource to help resolve disputes about your federal student loans.
Additional information on the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group is available from the Department of Education.