[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 34, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 34CFR685.102]

[Page 828-832]
 
                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION
 
                         DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 
PART 685--WILLIAM D. FORD FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
                      Subpart A--Purpose and Scope
 
Sec. 685.102  Definitions.

    (a)(1) The definitions of the following terms used in this part are 
set forth in subpart A of the Student Assistance General Provisions, 34 
CFR part 668:

Academic year
Campus-based programs
Dependent student
Disburse
Eligible program
Eligible student
Enrolled
Federal Consolidation Loan Program
Federal Direct Student Loan Program (Direct Loan Program)

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Federal Pell Grant Program
Federal Perkins Loan Program
Federal PLUS Program
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program
Federal Work-Study Program
Independent student
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program
One-third of an academic year
Parent
Payment period
State
Two-thirds of an academic year
U.S. citizen or national

    (2) The following definitions are set forth in the regulations for 
Institutional Eligibility under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended, 34 CFR part 600:

Accredited
Clock hour
Educational program
Eligible institution
Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program
Institution of higher education
Nationally recognized accrediting agency or association
Preaccredited
Program of study by correspondence
Secretary

    (3) The following definitions are set forth in the regulations for 
the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, 34 CFR part 682:

Act
Endorser
Expected family contribution
Federal Insured Student Loan (FISL) Program
Federal Stafford Loan Program
Foreign school
Full-time student
Graduate or professional student
Guaranty agency
Holder
Legal guardian
Lender
Totally and permanently disabled
Undergraduate student

    (b) The following definitions also apply to this part:
    Alternative originator: An entity under contract with the Secretary 
that originates Direct Loans to students and parents of students who 
attend a Direct Loan Program school that does not originate loans.
    Consortium: For purposes of this part, a consortium is a group of 
two or more schools that interacts with the Secretary in the same manner 
as other schools, except that the electronic communication between the 
Secretary and the schools is channeled through a single point. Each 
school in a consortium shall sign a Direct Loan Program participation 
agreement with the Secretary and be responsible for the information it 
supplies through the consortium.
    Default: The failure of a borrower and endorser, if any, to make an 
installment payment when due, or to meet other terms of the promissory 
note, if the Secretary finds it reasonable to conclude that the borrower 
and endorser, if any, no longer intend to honor the obligation to repay, 
provided that this failure persists for 270 days.
    Estimated financial assistance: (1) The estimated amount of 
assistance for a period of enrollment that a student (or a parent on 
behalf of a student) will receive from Federal, State, institutional, or 
other sources, such as scholarships, grants, financial need-based 
employment, or loans, including but not limited to--
    (i) Except as provided in paragraph (2)(iii) of this definition, 
veterans' educational benefits paid under chapters 30, 31, 32, and 35 of 
title 38 of the United States Code;
    (ii) Educational benefits paid under chapters 106 and 107 of title 
10 of the United States Code (Selected Reserve Educational Assistance 
Program);
    (iii) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships and 
subsistence allowances awarded under chapter 2 of title 10 and chapter 2 
of title 37 of the United States Code;
    (iv) Benefits paid under Public Law 97-376, section 156: Restored 
Entitlement Program for Survivors (or Quayle benefits);
    (v) Benefits paid under Public Law 96-342, section 903: Educational 
Assistance Pilot Program;
    (vi) Any educational benefits paid because of enrollment in a 
postsecondary education institution;
    (vii) The estimated amount of other Federal student financial aid, 
including but not limited to a Federal Pell Grant, campus-based aid, and 
the gross amount (including fees) of a Direct Subsidized, Direct 
Unsubsidized, and Direct PLUS Loan; and

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    (viii) Except as provided in paragraph (2)(iii) of this definition, 
national service education awards or post-service benefits under title I 
of the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
    (2) Estimated financial assistance does not include--
    (i) Those amounts used to replace the expected family contribution, 
including--
    (A) Direct PLUS Loan amounts;
    (B) Direct Unsubsidized Loan amounts; and
    (C) Non-Federal loan amounts;
    (ii) Federal Perkins loan and Federal Work-Study funds that the 
student has declined; and
    (iii) For the purpose of determining eligibility for a Direct 
Subsidized Loan, veterans' educational benefits paid under chapter 30 of 
title 38 of the United States Code (Montgomery GI Bill--Active Duty) and 
national service education awards or post-service benefits under title I 
of the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
    Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Program: A loan program authorized 
by title IV, part D of the Act that provides loans to borrowers who 
consolidate certain Federal educational loan(s), and one of the 
components of the Direct Loan Program. Loans made under this program are 
referred to as Direct Consolidation Loans. There are three types of 
Direct Consolidation Loans:
    (1) Direct Subsidized Consolidation Loans. Subsidized title IV 
education loans may be consolidated into a Direct Subsidized 
Consolidation Loan. Interest is not charged to the borrower during in-
school, grace, and deferment periods.
    (2) Direct Unsubsidized Consolidation Loans. Certain Federal 
education loans may be consolidated into a Direct Unsubsidized 
Consolidation Loan. The borrower is responsible for the interest that 
accrues during any period.
    (3) Direct PLUS Consolidation Loans. Parent Loans for Undergraduate 
Students, Federal PLUS, Direct PLUS, and Direct PLUS Consolidation Loans 
may be consolidated into a Direct PLUS Consolidation Loan. The borrower 
is responsible for the interest that accrues during any period.
    Federal Direct PLUS Program: A loan program authorized by title IV, 
part D of the Act that provides loans to parents of dependent students 
attending schools that participate in the Direct Loan Program, and one 
of the components of the Direct Loan Program. The borrower is 
responsible for the interest that accrues during any period. Loans made 
under this program are referred to as Direct PLUS Loans.
    Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan Program: A loan program authorized 
by title IV, part D of the Act that provides loans to undergraduate, 
graduate, and professional students attending Direct Loan Program 
schools, and one of the components of the Direct Loan Program. The 
Secretary subsidizes the interest while the borrower is in an in-school, 
grace, or deferment period. Loans made under this program are referred 
to as Direct Subsidized Loans.
    Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loan Program: A loan 
program authorized by title IV, part D of the Act that provides loans to 
undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attending Direct Loan 
Program schools, and one of the components of the Direct Loan Program. 
The borrower is responsible for the interest that accrues during any 
period. Loans made under this program are referred to as Direct 
Unsubsidized Loans.
    Grace period: A six-month period that begins on the day after a 
Direct Loan Program borrower ceases to be enrolled as at least a half-
time student at an eligible institution and ends on the day before the 
repayment period begins.
    Half-time student: A student who is not a full-time student and who 
is enrolled in an institution of higher education and is carrying an 
academic workload that is at least one-half the workload of a full-time 
student, as determined by the school. A student enrolled solely in an 
eligible program of study by correspondence is considered a half-time 
student.
    Interest rate: The annual interest rate that is charged on a loan, 
under title IV, part D of the Act.
    Loan fee: A fee, payable by the borrower, that is used to help 
defray the costs of the Direct Loan Program.

[[Page 831]]

    Master promissory note (MPN): A promissory note under which the 
borrower may receive loans for a single academic year or multiple 
academic years. Loans for multiple academic years may no longer be made 
under an MPN after the earliest of--
    (i) The date the Secretary or the school receives the borrower's 
written notice that no further loans may be disbursed;
    (ii) One year after the date of the borrower's first anticipated 
disbursement if no disbursement is made during that twelve-month period; 
or
    (iii) Ten years after the date of the first anticipated disbursement 
except that a remaining portion of a loan may be disbursed after this 
date.
    Period of enrollment: The period for which a Direct Subsidized, 
Direct Unsubsidized, or Direct PLUS Loan is intended. The period of 
enrollment must coincide with one or more academic terms established by 
the school (such as semester, trimester, quarter, academic year, and 
length of the program of study), for which institutional charges are 
generally assessed. The period of enrollment is also referred to in this 
part as the loan period.
    Satisfactory repayment arrangement. (1) For the purpose of regaining 
eligibility under section 428F(b) of the HEA, the making of six 
consecutive, voluntary, on-time, full monthly payments on a defaulted 
loan. A borrower may only obtain the benefit of this paragraph with 
respect to renewed eligibility once.
    (2) For the purpose of consolidating a defaulted loan under 34 CFR 
685.220(d)(1)(ii)(E), the making of three consecutive, voluntary, on-
time, full monthly payments on a defaulted loan.
    (3) The required monthly payment amount may not be more than is 
reasonable and affordable based on the borrower's total financial 
circumstances. ``On-time'' means a payment made within 15 days of the 
scheduled due date, and voluntary payments are those payments made 
directly by the borrower, regardless of whether there is a judgment 
against the borrower, and do not include payments obtained by income tax 
offset, garnishment, or income or asset execution.
    School origination option 1: In general, under this option the 
school performs the following functions: creates a loan origination 
record, transmits the record to the Servicer, prepares the promissory 
note, obtains a completed and signed promissory note from a borrower, 
transmits the promissory note to the Servicer, receives the funds 
electronically, disburses a loan to a borrower, creates a disbursement 
record, transmits the disbursement record to the Servicer, and 
reconciles on a monthly basis. The Servicer initiates the drawdown of 
funds for schools participating in school origination option 1. The 
Secretary may modify the functions performed by a particular school.
    School origination option 2: In general, under this option the 
school performs the following functions: creates a loan origination 
record, transmits the record to the Servicer, prepares the promissory 
note, obtains a completed and signed promissory note from a borrower, 
transmits the promissory note to the Servicer, determines funding needs, 
initiates the drawdown of funds, receives the funds electronically, 
disburses a loan to a borrower, creates a disbursement record, transmits 
the disbursement record to the Servicer, and reconciles on a monthly 
basis. The Secretary may modify the functions performed by a particular 
school.
    Servicer: An entity that has contracted with the Secretary to act as 
the Secretary's agent in providing services relating to the origination 
or servicing of Direct Loans.
    Standard origination: In general, under this option the school 
performs the following functions: creates a loan origination record, 
transmits the record to the Servicer, receives funds electronically, 
disburses funds, creates a disbursement record, transmits the 
disbursement record to the Servicer, and reconciles on a monthly basis. 
The Servicer prepares the promissory note, obtains a completed and 
signed promissory note from a borrower, and initiates the drawdown of 
funds for schools participating in standard origination.

[[Page 832]]

The Secretary may modify the functions performed by a particular school.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.)

[59 FR 61690, Dec. 1, 1994, as amended at 60 FR 61793, Dec. 1, 1995; 61 
FR 29899, June 12, 1996; 61 FR 60610, Nov. 29, 1996; 64 FR 58965, Nov. 
1, 1999; 65 FR 38729, June 22, 2000; 65 FR 65629, Nov. 1, 2000; 66 FR 
34765, June 29, 2001]