Loan Requirements
Before you are given any loan funds, the government and the university require a few steps from you. This page covers federal Direct Loans and loans from CU Anschutz. For a private loan, ask your lender what they require.
What Changed for Federal Loans
Effective July 1, 2026
Grad PLUS ended. Closed to new borrowers. Some continuing students still qualify.
New program and lifetime caps. Total federal borrowing is now capped by program and over your lifetime.
New repayment plans. New loans use the Tiered Standard Plan or the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
Annual Direct Unsubsidized limits for graduate students did not change. If you borrowed before July 1, 2026, different rules may apply. See Federal Student Loan Changes.
Before Your First Federal Loan Pays
Two steps, both at StudentAid.gov, both one time. Your loan will not pay until they are finished. Use school code 004508, listed under University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz.
YOU NEED YOUR FSA ID
Both steps require the StudentAid.gov account you used to sign the FAFSA. Create an FSA ID if you do not have one, or get help accessing your account if you cannot log in. Sign in as yourself. Using another person's FSA ID is fraud.
Loans From CU Anschutz
If your financial aid offer included an institutional loan, it has its own counseling and promissory note. These are handled through your student portal, not StudentAid.gov.
Before It Pays
Finish the entrance counseling, promissory note and any other paperwork listed for that loan. Your To Do List in CUAccess spells out each item.
When You Leave
Exit counseling is required when you graduate, leave school or drop below half time. Watch your To Do List for those instructions too.
QUESTIONS ABOUT AN INSTITUTIONAL LOAN?
Contact the loan servicer, ECSI, first. If you cannot reach them or the problem is not resolved, contact Student Debt Management.
BORROWING A PRIVATE LOAN?
Nothing on this page applies. Each lender sets its own requirements, so contact yours directly. See private student loans for how they compare to federal loans.
When You Leave: Exit Counseling
Exit counseling prepares you to repay. It is required if you borrowed a Direct Loan, and also if you have older FFEL loans from before that program ended in 2010. Complete it when any of these happens.
You Graduate.
You Leave School.
You Drop Below Half Time.
What Now?
Explore Types of Aid
Grants, loans and work-study, and what makes each one different.
Where Is My Refund?
Aid pays your bill first. What is left is released to you by the Bursar.
Dropping a Class?
Changing your credits after the term starts can change your aid and create a bill.
Something Changed?
Lost income, a change at home or unusual costs can all be reviewed.
Need a Form?
Everything your To Do List might ask for, with a line saying what each form does.