USA Funds News

USA Funds Introduces Loan Counseling for Graduate, Professional Students

INDIANAPOLIS, July 1 PRNewswire — USA Funds(R), the nation's leading education loan guarantor, announces the introduction of USA Funds Grad Guide(SM), its new online loan counseling program for graduate and professional students. USA Funds Grad Guide is designed to address the unique financial issues faced by students pursuing graduate and professional degree programs. The program meets both Stafford and Grad PLUS loan counseling requirements.

USA Funds Grad Guide helps better prepare graduate and professional students to make wise decisions regarding their current education loan debt by providing them with the option to review their total student loan indebtedness to date. The tool displays aggregated student loan information from the Meteor network, allows the student to include information about additional loans, and summarizes Stafford, PLUS and consolidation loan information in one comprehensive view.

USA Funds Grad Guide entrance counseling is the newest component of USA Funds Loan Counselor(R), USA Funds' suite of counseling services to help student loan borrowers understand their rights and responsibilities and take control of their education debt. USA Funds Grad Guide provides the following features to help students navigate their options, plan a budget and understand the details of credit, including student loans:

— A video adviser to explain big idea concepts for each topic. — Repayment and consolidation calculators. — An interactive budget calculator. — Information about credit scores. — Details of issues to consider before taking out student loans.

"As part of our commitment to graduate and professional education, we have tailored this counseling program for students pursuing advanced degrees," said Denise B. Feser, USA Funds senior vice president, customer relations. "USA Funds Grad Guide delivers information relevant to these students who typically incur larger student loan debts to complete their postgraduate studies."

USA Funds invites campus financial aid professionals to learn more about USA Funds Grad Guide and the other USA Funds Loan Counselor components by visiting the USA Funds booth during the national conference of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators in Orlando, Fla., July 6-9.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that works to enhance postsecondary education preparedness, access and success by providing and supporting financial and other valued services. During the year ending Sept. 30, 2007, USA Funds guaranteed education loans totaling $25.8 billion for students and parents throughout the nation. USA Funds serves as the designated guarantor of federal education loans in eight states: Arizona, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming. USA Funds also invests $16.3 million annually in scholarships and outreach programs that advance its mission of support to higher education. For more information about USA Funds, visit www.usafunds.org.