Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

Federal Perkins Loan Program - Student Eligibility

AwardYear: 1995-1996
EnterChapterNo: 6
EnterChapterTitle: Federal Perkins Loan Program
SectionNumber: 1
SectionTitle: Student Eligibility
PageNumbers: 9-12



[[Undergraduate and graduate students]]
[[Additional undergraduate degree]]
[[Study abroad]]
Both undergraduate and graduate students may receive loans under
the Federal Perkins Loan Program. To be eligible for a Perkins
Loan, a student must meet the general student eligibility
requirements discussed in Chapter Two of this handbook and must
not have borrowed the maximum amounts listed in Section Two of
this chapter. A student who has earned a bachelor's or first
professional degree may receive a Federal Perkins Loan to pursue an
ADDITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE degree provided that he or she
meets the eligibility requirements. A student engaged in a program
of study abroad also may be eligible for Perkins Loans.

[[Medical interns and residents are not eligible]]
An individual who is serving in a medical internship or residency
program is not eligible for a Federal Perkins Loan. This provision
in Section 464(c)(2)(A)(i) of the HEA, as amended became effective
January 1, 1990 and does not apply to dental internships.

[[Incarcerated students are not eligible]]
An incarcerated student is not eligible to receive a loan from any
SFA program, including the Federal Perkins Loan Program (refer to
Section 668.7(a)(14) of the General Provisions regulations published
in the Federal Register on March 16, 1994).

[[Exceptional financial need and eligibility for Pell Grants]]
A school must give priority to those students with exceptional
financial need as defined by the school using procedures it
establishes for that purpose. The school's selection procedures must
be in writing, uniformly applied, and kept on file at the school.
Before an undergraduate student can receive a loan, the school must
determine his or her eligibility or ineligibility for a Pell Grant; a
preliminary hand calculation is acceptable after a student has filed a
FAFSA with the central processing system. Note that even if the
hand calculation shows the undergraduate student will be ineligible
for a Pell Grant, the student must apply for one before a Perkins
Loan can be awarded. Remember that a student must have an
"official" EFC that has been processed by the Central Processing
System.

[[Independent and less-than-full-time students]]
A school must offer at least 5 percent of the dollar amount of loans
made under the Federal Perkins Loan Program to independent
students and less-than-full-time students if the FCC for the program
is partly based on the financial need of these students and the
financial need of these students exceeds 5 percent of the total
financial need of all students at the school (see Chapter Five,
Section One).

[[Teacher certification programs]]
A school may award a Federal Perkins Loan and/or FWS job to a
student who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at least half time
in an eligible teacher certification or professional credential
program. Eligibility criteria for such a program are discussed in
Chapter Five, Section One.

WILLINGNESS TO REPAY AS AN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

[[Failure to repay previous loan]]
In selecting among eligible applicants, a school must consider
evidence of a student's willingness to repay the loan. Failure to meet
payment obligations on a previous loan is evidence that the student
is unwilling to repay the loan. (For more information, see "Default
and Student Eligibility," in Section Eight of this Chapter.)

[[Loan that was written off]]
If a borrower had a previous Federal Perkins Loan, NDSL, or
Defense Loan that the school was unable to collect and that was
written off, the borrower may be eligible for a new loan only if he or
she reaffirms the debt (unless the amount written off was $25 or
less). To reaffirm a debt that was written off, the borrower must
acknowledge the loan in a legally binding manner, such as signing a
new promissory note, signing a new repayment agreement, or
making a payment on the loan.

[[Previous cancellation due to disability]]
If a student has obtained a cancellation of a previous Federal Perkins
Loan or NDSL due to permanent and total disability, and is applying
for a subsequent Federal Perkins Loan or NDSL, the borrower may
be eligible to receive additional funds from the Federal Perkins Loan
Program if he or she meets certain conditions. These conditions
areĀ—

- the borrower obtains a certification from his or her physician
that the borrower's condition has improved and that he or she is
able to engage in substantial gainful activity; and

- the borrower signs a statement acknowledging that any new
Federal Perkins Loan or NDSL cannot be cancelled in the
future on the basis of any present impairment, unless the
condition substantially deteriorates to the extent that the
definition of total and permanent disability is met.

[[Previous discharge in bankruptcy]]
As a result of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994, a student may not
be denied student financial assistance from SFA programs,
including the Federal Perkins Loan Program, solely on the basis of a
bankruptcy determination. If a student has filed for or received a
discharge in bankruptcy, has had a student loan discharged in
bankruptcy, or has not paid a student loan that has been determined
by a court of law to be dischargeable in bankruptcy, the bankruptcy
may be considered as evidence of an adverse credit history but
cannot be the basis for denial of a future loan from the Federal
Perkins Loan or other student loan programs. A student is no longer
required to establish eligibility for a new student loan by agreeing to
repay the loan discharged in bankruptcy. However, schools may
continue to consider the student's post-bankruptcy credit history in
determining willingness to repay the loan.

LOAN AVAILABILITY

[[Make loans reasonably available]]
Schools must make loans reasonably available to all eligible
students, to the extent of available funds, with loans made first to
students with exceptional need. A school may not exclude a
particular category of students. As stated earlier, at least 5 percent
of the Federal Perkins Loan funds a school advances to students for
an award year must be offered to INDEPENDENT STUDNETS and
LESS-THAN-FULL-TIME students if the school's FCC for that
award year is partly based on the financial need of these students
and the financial need of these students exceeds 5 percent of the
total financial need of all students at the school.

[[Schools may set priorities]]
However, the school may set certain priorities when packaging aid.
As an illustration, a school could first distribute Federal Perkins
Loans to full-time third-year students who have at least $500 in
financial need after the EFC, Federal Pell Grants, and any
scholarships received have been subtracted from the cost of
attendance. Federal Perkins Loan funds may not be used
EXCLUSIVELY for such a group, of course, but it is permissible to
establish priorities.

[[Schools may request certain disclosures]]
In administering the Federal Perkins Loan Program, a school must
comply with the equal credit opportunity requirements of Regulation
B (12 CFR Part 202). ED considers the Federal Perkins Loan
Program to be a credit assistance program authorized by federal law
for the benefit of an economically disadvantaged class of persons
within the meaning of 12 CFR 202.8(a)(1). Therefore, a school may
request that a loan applicant disclose marital status, income from
alimony, child support, and spouse's income and signature.

PAYMENT TO STUDENT WHO DROPS OUT

[[Final Rule 11-30-94]]
A student who drops out before receiving his or her Federal Perkins
Loan may be eligible to receive a payment, but only under the
following criteria (see Section 674.16(g) of the November 30, 1994
Final Rule):

- the loan must have been awarded to the student while he or she
is still an eligible student; and

- the loan funds must be used to cover documented educational
costs to the student during the student's enrollment in the
payment period for which the loan was intended, and the costs
must be only those that are normally included in a borrower's
cost of attendance, as defined in section 472 of the HEA.

If a student drops out AFTER receiving his or her Federal Perkins
Loan, but before the end of the payment period, the school
determines the amount of any refund and repayment as discussed in
Chapter Three, Section Five, "Refunds and Repayments."