Loan Requirements

Entrance Counseling (First-time Direct Loan borrowers only)

Entrance Counseling is designed to inform you of the rights and responsibilities associated with being a student loan borrower. It is a federal requirement that students complete Entrance Loan Counseling before Federal Direct Loan funds can disburse to the student.

This is only required if you are borrowing a Direct Loan for the first time. You will complete the entrance counseling on studentaid.gov.

Please note: ALL ACC students are undergraduate students. Please DO NOT do the Graduate or Professional Student entrance counseling.

Entrance Loan Counseling provides you with information about:

• Your rights and responsibilities as a borrower
• Interest rates, expenses, repayment plans, and other essential details about borrowing
• Who to contact regarding Federal Loan questions

Steps to Complete the Entrance Loan Counseling

• Step 1 – “Login” into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID and select “In School” then “Complete Entrance Counseling.”
• Step 2 – Click on “Start” for “I am Undergraduate Student.” Then click on Continue
• Step 3 – Review the page and scroll down to click on “Continue.”
• Step 4 – Under the “Let’s Notify Your School” section, choose “Texas” and “Austin Community College” Then click on Continue.
• Step 5 – There are six tutorial information screens with questions for you to answer on each screen. Click on Start and go through each screen carefully, answer all of the questions. Click “Continue” at the bottom of the screen. If you cannot continue to the next screen, a red error message will appear at the top of the screen, telling you what to correct before proceeding.
• Step 6 – On the last screen, ‘Check Your Knowledge”, you will go through few questions. After answering these questions, please click on “Continue” to move forward. (“Check Answer” is not need to move forward after answering the question.)
• Step 7 – At the end, you will receive the following message: “You have successfully completed entrance counseling.” You do not need to print the page, but you may choose to save it for your records. 
• You are now done with Part 1 and can proceed to Part 2 MPN

  Direct Loan Entrance Counseling Booklet PDF

Financial Coaching

ACC’s Student Money Management Office (SMMO) is available to discuss responsible borrowing, budgeting, credit, banking, and other items.  Schedule your financial coaching appointment here.

Exit Loan Counseling (all Federal Loan borrowers)

Exit Loan Counseling is designed to assist you with understanding your specific loan terms and conditions as well as establishing a loan repayment option suitable to your financial capabilities. Awareness of your loan options, rights, and responsibilities is crucial to successful repayment.

You are required to complete Exit Loan Counseling if you:

• Graduate
• Enroll or drop to less than half-time
• Transfer to another institution
• Withdraw from ACC.

ACC will send you an email on when you need to complete this process.

Direct Loan Exit counseling Booklet PDF

The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a legally binding document in which you promise to repay your loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to the US Department of Education. It also explains the terms and conditions of your loan(s).

There is one MPN for Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans and a different MPN for Direct PLUS Loans. Most schools are authorized to make multiple federal student loans under one MPN for up to 10 years.

This can be completed in about 20 minutes. Please make sure you allow enough time to complete this part in a single session. If you exit the website before submitting your signed MPN, you will have to start over.

Complete the Master Promissory Note

• Step 1 – If you have just completed Entrance Counseling, select “Complete a Master Promissory Note” from Next Steps to begin. Otherwise, “Login” into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID and click on “In School” then “Complete a Loan Agreement (Master Promissory Note).”
• Step 2 – Click “Start” for “I’m an Undergraduate Student.”
• Step 3 – Verify your personal information is correct or make any corrections if needed. Click “Continue.”
• Step 4 – Select “Texas” and “Austin Community College” from the drop-down list, then click “Continue.”
• Step 5 – Enter information for two personal references. Please pay attention to the Reference Information at the top of the screen while completing this section. Click “Continue.”
• Step 6 – Review the MPN Agreement (5 pages). Make sure to read this section as the MPN is a legally binding document. After you have completed reading each section, then click “Continue.”
• Step 7 – Verify the information is correct or select “Edit” if changes are necessary. Click “Continue.”
• Step 8 – Please read the “Promises” and check the box to certify that you have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the MPN. Type your full name in the name field at the bottom of the screen. Click “Continue.”
• Step 9 – You will receive this message: “You have successfully submitted your MPN.”

After completing Part 2, you will receive a confirmation email from the U.S. Department of Education. You may choose to view the PDF file and save the MPN for your records. However, it is not necessary to print and sign the MPN because you did this electronically already. You are done with Part 2. You can log out of Studentaid.gov.