Can we apply for Parent PLUS loan before receiving award letter for off-campus housing?

u cant apply for parent plus before the school posts the award letter. the school has to calculate her cost of attendance first which includes housing estimates. they usually have different COA budgets for on campus vs off campus. without that the loan system wouldnt know the max amount u can borrow

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. Do you know if there's a way to expedite this process? Her friends need to know by June 1st if she's in on the apartment.

Actually, the previous comment isn't entirely accurate. While you typically need to wait for the award letter to submit the PLUS loan application through studentaid.gov, you CAN take some preparatory steps. First, both you and your daughter should have FSA IDs ready. Second, you can contact the financial aid office directly to inquire about their estimated Cost of Attendance for off-campus housing - most schools have this information available even before finalizing individual award letters.\n\nRegarding your second question, the Parent PLUS loan amount is determined by the Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid received. Schools set different COA budgets for on-campus vs. off-campus living arrangements. When your daughter updates her housing status with the school, her COA should adjust accordingly to reflect off-campus costs. However, it's critical to verify this with the financial aid office as each institution handles this differently.

This is spot on! My son moved off campus last year and we had to specifically request the financial aid office to update his housing status in their system before the PLUS loan would reflect the correct amount. Call them!!!

you should call the financial aid office ASAP!!!! i tried emailing for WEEKS last year about my son's PLUS loan and got nowhere. when i finally called they fixed everything in 20 minutes. sometimes u gotta be the squeaky wheel!!!!

Thanks for the advice. I've tried calling a bunch of times but keep getting stuck in the automated system and then disconnected. So frustrating!

I dealt with this exact situation last year with my twins. Here's what we learned the hard way: you CAN technically submit a Parent PLUS application before the award letter, but it won't be processed until the school certifies your child's cost of attendance and other aid. \n\nMost importantly - make sure your daughter updates her housing status with BOTH the housing department AND financial aid office! We nearly got caught short because the departments weren't communicating, and the financial aid office was using the wrong COA calculation.\n\nAlso, be aware that the Parent PLUS loan has an origination fee (around 4.2% last I checked), so if you need exactly $3,200 more, you'll need to borrow slightly more to account for that fee being taken off the top.\n\nDon't panic about the apartment yet - you might be able to get a good faith deposit down while waiting for the loan to process if you explain the situation to the landlord.

Thank you so much for the detailed info! I didn't even think about the origination fee. And great point about updating both departments - I'll make sure she does that right away. Did you find that the off-campus COA was accurate for your twins or did you have to request adjustments?

The off-campus COA was actually pretty close for us, maybe $500 less than actual costs. But every school is different! Some use very outdated housing estimates. And FYI - they won't adjust for \

U mite wanna jus get a private loan insted. My daughter got one from SallieMae n we didnt have 2 wait for any award letter. Interest is higher but at least we got the $$$ fast for her apartment deposit.

I would strongly advise against that approach for a long-term housing solution. Private loans typically have much higher interest rates and fewer protections than federal Parent PLUS loans. The difference can amount to thousands of dollars in additional costs over the loan term. While it might be tempting for the speed, it's worth exhausting all federal options first.

If you're struggling to reach someone at the financial aid office directly, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you bypass the hold queue and get connected to a real person at the financial aid office. I used it last semester when dealing with a similar Parent PLUS loan issue and got through in minutes instead of hours. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nRegarding your actual question - officially you need to wait for the award letter because the Parent PLUS loan is part of the federal aid package. However, what you CAN do immediately is have your daughter request that her student account be updated to reflect off-campus housing for the upcoming year. This will adjust her Cost of Attendance (COA) calculation, which determines the maximum PLUS loan amount you can request.

Thank you! I'll check out that service - sounds like exactly what I need right now. And I'll have her update her housing status immediately.

btw be careful with off campus apts bcuz sometimes the school COA budget for off campus is LESS than on campus even tho real costs are higher lol. my daughters school estimated like $9700 for off campus when real cost was more like $12k+ for the year

Wow, that's concerning. I wonder if we can appeal that if the COA is way off from reality?

Yes, you absolutely can appeal a Cost of Attendance calculation if you can document that the actual costs exceed their estimate. You'll need to provide copies of the lease, utility estimates, etc. Most schools have a formal

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU FAIL!!!! they make these deadlines impossible to meet on purpose!!! my daughter's financial aid office didn't release award letters until JUNE last year but apartment contracts were due in APRIL!!! it's all a scam to keep kids in overpriced dorms!!!!

PREACH! We went through the exact same thing. Had to put down a $2000 deposit on an apartment with no idea if the PLUS loan would cover it. Ended up having to take a cash advance on a credit card while waiting for everything to process. The system is broken.

One additional point that might be helpful: You can actually estimate what your Parent PLUS loan eligibility will be before receiving the official award letter. The formula is: Cost of Attendance (COA) - Expected Family Contribution (EFC)/Student Aid Index (SAI) - Any other financial aid = Maximum PLUS loan eligibility.\n\nYou already know your EFC/SAI from your FAFSA, and you can call the school to ask for the estimated COA for off-campus students. Then estimate other aid based on last year's award (if applicable). This won't be official, but it can help you plan while waiting for the final award letter.

That's such helpful advice, thank you! Her SAI is 8200 and I know she qualifies for at least some subsidized loans. I'll call tomorrow and ask for their off-campus COA number so we can start calculating. Really appreciate the concrete formula!

Hey Alexis! I went through this exact situation with my son last year. Here's what worked for us: while you technically can't get the PLUS loan approved without the award letter, you CAN start the application process early. Make sure both you and your daughter have your FSA IDs ready, and definitely call the financial aid office (try early morning around 8am - that's when I finally got through). The key thing is getting your daughter's housing status updated in their system ASAP. Once that's done, they can give you an estimated COA for off-campus living. In our case, the off-campus COA was actually higher than dorms, which helped with the loan amount. Also, talk to the apartment landlord about the situation - many of them deal with students and understand the financial aid timeline. We were able to put down a smaller "good faith" deposit while waiting for the loan to process, then paid the full amount once everything cleared. Don't stress too much - June 1st is still doable if you start making calls tomorrow!