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The U.S. Department of Education has officially opened the 2024-2025 .

A parent PLUS loan applicant should keep the following in mind:

1. The parent completing the application has to either be the biological/adoptive/step parent who is included on the student’s FAFSA OR the biological/adoptive parent who is not listed on the FAFSA.
   Other family members, and step-parent’s who are not on the FAFSA, are not eligible to apply.
2. The parent PLUS loan is in the name of the parent applicant only, and will remain so until the loan is paid in full.
3. You are NOT required to apply for the amount listed in the student’s financial aid offer. As you and the student review estimated costs, other sources of financial aid, and self-pay/payment plan options, you may find that a significantly lower amount will “fill the gap”.
4. If you are applying for a loan to cover the school year (Fall and Spring), make sure to double your requested loan amount if you used semester costs/aid to determine the amount you need and select the loan period of August 2024 - May 2025.
5. You should also account for the fact that the U.S. Department of Education will deduct 4.228% from your requested amount for their “loan origination fees”. So, for every $1,000 you request, SU will receive payment of approximately $957.
6. If you do not specify an amount on the PLUS loan application, our office will process the loan for the “offer” amount.
7. If approved, you must complete the PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN) if this is the first time you have received a PLUS loan for your student.
8. Fall 2024 bills will be issued, via student email, on July 11, 2024. If you decide to wait until the bill is issued before applying for the PLUS loan, we highly recommend that you complete the application by July 31st to avoid a late fee.
9. If you decide, after completing the PLUS loan application, that you need to increase/decrease the amount of your PLUS loan, please contact our office and we will guide you through the next steps.

Feel free to contact our office if you have any questions.

Due to the passing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act on December 27, 2020, as a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the FAFSA is changing for the 2024-2025 academic year. Read more about 24-25 FAFSA Major Changes. You can file the 2024-2025 FAFSA through June 30, 2025.

Federal Student Aid has recently released Pro Tips for the 2024-25 FAFSA Form.

Visit for the latest information!

MHEC has extended the Maryland financial aid deadline to submit the 24-25 FAFSA to June 1, 2024. However, students are encouraged to submit the FAFSA by the priority deadline of May 15, 2024. The extension of the priority filing deadline is based on recent notification from the Dept of Education. MHEC anticipates that the first round of awards will be completed by May 1st including all eligible applicants who have completed a FAFSA by April 15th.  Eligible applicants who have completed the FAFSA by May 1 are anticipated to be awarded by May 15.  Eligible applicants who complete the FAFSA by May 15 (i.e. priority deadline date) will be guaranteed to be awarded.  To learn more about MD State Financial Aid go to .

As soon as you complete and submit your FAFSA, make sure to create a . This is a critical part of the financial aid process.

MHEC has launched a new financial aid application for the 2024-2025 academic school year to help streamline the process when applying for certain State scholarships and grants. The new MHEC One-App allows MD resident students easier access to financial aid information. To get started, MD resident students log into . This new MHEC One-App is also for undocumented students who are eligible for in-state tuition but are unable to complete the FAFSA (replaces the previous application called MSFAA).

Go to and click on the MDCAPS ICON, which looks like a graduation cap. Please make sure when you sign up that you use an email that you use all the time, because the email you put in as your MDCAPS account is the email we will use to notify you about any scholarships or grants you may be eligible to receive!