Direct Loan Process
Please visit the Direct Loan Information page for detailed information on requesting a loan, eligibility requirements, frequently asked questions, and withdrawal policies. New borrowers have additional steps to be completed.
Loan Application Due Dates:
- June 1 – DTS Direct Loan Request form due for Academic Year (Fall, Spring, Summer)
- November 1 – DTS Direct Loan Request form due for new borrowers for Spring and Summer
- April 1 – DTS Direct Loan Request form due for new borrowers for Summer
- (keep this bullet the same)
- Loans will be disbursed the 2nd week of classes in the Fall and Spring Semesters and during the midpoint of the Summer Semester.
5-Step Process to Request a Loan
Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You may apply online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Please use the provided link to access the site directly. You should not have to pay anything to submit the application. The school code for DTS is G03562.
A Student Aid Report (SAR) is generated upon completion of the FAFSA. Be sure to make all the necessary corrections (as applicable, according to the comments section of your SAR). DTS will receive a copy of your SAR electronically if you have submitted our school code. Your loan cannot be processed until all specified corrections are made. The DTS Financial Aid Office strongly encourages applicants to select the option to allow the FAFSA to retrieve your IRS data. Doing so will save you time by eliminating the need for DTS to request additional tax forms from you at a later date if selected for verification.
The form is only available online. No paper applications will be accepted.
Complete an Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN): The form is available online at https://studentaid.gov/mpn/. Once completed, an eMPN is valid for up to ten years.
If this is your first time borrowing at DTS, you must complete an Entrance Counseling at https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling/. This needs to be completed, even if you have borrowed loans at a different school. Entrance Counseling only needs to be done one time while you are using loans at DTS.
DTS prefers that all borrowers of Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans complete the Informed Borrowing Confirmation process once each award year before their new loan will disburse. This is to help borrowers understand their loans and how they affect their financial future. To complete the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement, go to Federal Student Aid: Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement and click the “Log In to Start” button by “I am a Graduate or Professional Student.” You will need your FSA ID to log in.
After all required items have been submitted (complete, with no required corrections), your loan will be ready for DTS certification, the process of determining your eligibility for funds. Please allow 4–6 weeks for processing. You will be notified by email when your Direct Loan has been certified. You will also be notified by email when the funds arrive at DTS. Contact Financial Aid with questions: financialaid@dts.edu or 214-887-5087.
Changes to Loans (July 1, 2026)
Last updated on July 1, 2026
- New Borrowing Limits: Annual and lifetime (aggregate) caps on Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans will be implemented, limiting borrowing to $20,500 per year for most graduate students and a new $100,000 aggregate borrowing limit for graduate loans (includes all loans previously made for graduate programs – does not include undergraduate loan amounts). The maximum lifetime amount in Title IV a student may borrow will be $257,500 (without regard to amounts repaid, forgiven, canceled or otherwise discharged).
- Legacy Borrowers: DTS students who received a Direct Loan for their current program of student on or before June 30, 2026, can access unsubsidized loans under the previous annual limit of $20,500 and aggregate limit of $138,500 (this includes undergraduate and graduate loans) until their expected time to credential based on published length of program or for 3 additional years, whichever is less. Any changes in a program or break in continuous enrollment may cause a loss of “legacy” status. Withdrawal from courses or taking a leave of absence could disqualify you from the legacy provision and cause new restrictions to be put in place on your borrowing upon return.
- Schedule of Reduction: The annual loan amount is reduced in proportion to enrollment status. If you enroll less than full-time, your loan eligibility will be reduced proportionally. This applies to both new and legacy borrowers. Part-time enrollment now automatically reduces your maximum federal loan eligibility for the year in proportion to the number of credits you are registered for. For example, a master’s student that is registered for 6 hours in both the Fall and Spring semesters would only be eligible for 67% of the annual limit. This part-time student would be eligible for $13,735 for the Academic year instead of the maximum $20,500.
At this time, Department of Education hasn’t published all official guidelines for implementing the changes. Our office will continue to watch as updates are released, so we can better understand this change and service our students and post changes here.
Please email financialaid@dts.edu should you have any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
For DTS students, full-time enrollment is based on the number of credit hours required by your program for the academic year. The number of hours required to be considered full-time may vary by program and semester.
For example, the ThM program requires enrollment during the Fall and Spring semesters, while Summer enrollment is optional. Since 9 hours is considered full-time during the Fall and Spring, a ThM student who enrolls in 9 hours in Fall and 9 hours in Spring (18 hours total) is considered full-time. No schedule of reductions would be required.
A ThM student may also take 6 hours in Fall, 6 hours in Spring, and 6 hours in Summer. Because the student completes the required 18 hours during the academic year, the student is considered full-time.
Some programs require Summer enrollment. For example, the MAC – Clinical Counseling program requires students to enroll in the Summer. In this program, 9 hours is considered full-time in Fall, 9 hours is full-time in Spring, and 6 hours is full-time in Summer. Therefore, a student must enroll in 24 hours during the academic year (9 Fall + 9 Spring + 6 Summer) to be considered full-time.
The following programs require 18 hours during the academic year to be considered full-time:
- ThM
- MAC (non-Clinical)
- MACO
- MACP
- MAJS
- MAAE
- MACE
- MACL
- MAIS
- MAMW
- MBTS
- MABT
- STM
- MABC
- DMin
- EdD
- DEdMin
The MAC – Clinical Counseling program requires 24 hours during the academic year to be considered full-time.
The PhD program requires 12 hours during the academic year to be considered full-time.
If you enroll less than full-time, your annual Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility will be reduced proportionally based on your enrollment intensity. This is called a schedule of reductions. The schedule of reductions applies to both new borrowers and legacy borrowers.
For example, if a graduate student who is normally eligible for the $20,500 annual maximum enrolls in only 67% of the hours required for full-time enrollment, the student’s annual loan eligibility may be reduced to 67% of the applicable annual limit.
Federal regulations generally require Direct Loan proceeds to be disbursed in substantially equal installments, and generally no installment may exceed one-half of the loan amount.
However, when a schedule of reductions is required because a student is enrolled less than full-time, the school may disburse loan funds based on the student’s enrollment intensity for each semester or in equal installments.
This means that the amount disbursed each semester may vary if your enrollment level changes.
If you request an amount that is less than your maximum annual loan eligibility, DTS will honor the lower amount you requested.
For example, if your calculated annual loan limit after applying the schedule of reductions is $13,667, but you request only $12,000, DTS will request $12,000 in Direct Loan funds.
If you instead request the full $20,500 annual maximum, DTS will request $13,667, because that is the maximum amount you are eligible to receive after the schedule of reductions is applied.
DTS will initially package your Direct Loan based on the number of credit hours you indicate on your DTS Direct Loan Request Form for each semester. Before your loan is disbursed, DTS will confirm your actual enrollment and adjust your loan eligibility as necessary.
Because your enrollment may change during the academic year, your final loan eligibility may differ from your original award.
If you drop a class after a loan disbursement, DTS may need to recalculate your annual loan eligibility based on your revised enrollment.
For example, suppose you are initially enrolled in 9 hours in Fall and 9 hours in Spring (18 hours for the academic year) and are awarded your loan based on full-time enrollment. If you drop a Fall course after your Fall loan has been disbursed and your Fall enrollment decreases to 6 hours, DTS will recalculate your annual eligibility based on 15 hours for the academic year. As a result, your Spring loan disbursement may be reduced, even if you are enrolled in 9 hours during the Spring semester.
Important: Changes to your enrollment can affect your Direct Loan eligibility. If you are considering dropping a course or changing your enrollment, contact the appropriate DTS office before making the change so you understand how it may affect your financial aid.
