Publication Date: October 2001

DCL ID: GEN-01-14

Summary: This letter will serve as the Department of Education's approval of the enclosed Federal PLUS Loan application materials

 

October, 2001

Gen-01-14

G-01-332

L-01-226

Dear Guaranty Agency Director:

This letter will serve as the Department of Education's approval of the enclosed Federal PLUS Loan application materials.The application materials include the following documents:

¨     Federal PLUS Loan Application and Promissory Note

¨     Instructions for Completing Federal PLUS Loan Application and Promissory Note

¨     Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities

¨     Endorser Addendum to Federal PLUS Loan Application and Promissory Note

¨     Instructions for Completing Endorser Addendum to Federal PLUS Loan Application and Promissory Note

In response to the recommendations of the financial aid community, we have made no changes to the Federal PLUS loan application materials in advance of the approval of a Federal PLUS Master Promissory Note. These OMB-approved PLUS application materials may be made available for use immediately and are authorized for use through October 31, 2004. However, previously approved PLUS applications received on or after October 31, 2001 should be accepted for processing.

Implementation of New Forms

No changes to, deletions from, or additions to the prescribed language in these application materials will be permitted, except that information and/or logos identifying the guaranty agency, lender, or program may be printed in the boxes provided in the upper right-hand corner of the application form and the endorser addendum, and the front page of the application and endorser addendum instructions. These boxes are intended to provide a guaranty agency, lender, or program with a space to include its logo, name, a telephone number, and appropriate coding (for example, bar coding to reflect the source, type, or other identification system for filing or processing). Bar coding is permitted in other places on the application materials (that is, the side or bottom margins) to meet requirements for individual processing systems. These coding identifiers may not be printed on the application materials where they would alter the general layout of the form. Organizations may print in the lower margin of the application materials a reference to the type, for example: original, student copy, and file copy.

Page 2

Instructions for the School Section and Lender Section are not required to be included in each application. If the school and lender instructions are not printed in each application, the guaranty agency must send a separate mailing of the instructions to each school and lender participating in the agency's program and must ensure that one set of instructions is mailed with each subsequent supply of loan application forms that the agency forwards to the school or lender.

Imaging Technology

The borrower or endorser is instructed to complete the form using a black ink ballpoint pen or a typewriter. This request is made to accommodate imaging technology.

Printing Instructions

The Borrower's Rights and Responsibilities statement may be enhanced by printing in color. The other enclosed documents must be printed with black ink on white paper, except as noted above regarding printing in the boxes in the upper right-hand corners of the forms. The type face, point size, and general presentation of the form may not be changed from the enclosed documents approved by the Secretary.

Obtaining Copies for Reproduction

Arrangements have been made to provide the necessary output for the PLUS application materials. Forms will be available in PDF format on ED’s IFAP web site at http://ifap.ed.gov and on the NCHELP web site at www.nchelp.org. Guaranty agencies are responsible for ensuring that the forms used by the agency or lender are identical to the forms approved by the Secretary. No changes may be made to the forms except those expressly authorized above.

Sincerely,

Jeff Baker, Director

Program Development Division

Student Financial Assistance

Enclosure:

PLUS Loan application materials