FAFSA Parent Plus loan application only asked for one parent's info - did we mess up?

You didn't do anything wrong! The Parent PLUS loan application is designed to only collect information from one parent. Unlike the FAFSA which considers both parents' income for dependent students, the PLUS loan is only taken out by one parent as the borrower. The parent who completes the application is the only one legally responsible for repaying the loan, even if you're married. Your husband will be the only borrower on this loan.

yeah thats normal, my wife did our PLUS loan for our son. only one parent can be the borrower. just make sure whoever applies has decent credit bc they do a credit check

Just to add a bit more clarity: Parent PLUS loans are individual loans, not joint loans. When your husband applied, he became the sole borrower responsible for repayment. If you wanted to be the borrower instead, you would need to submit a new application with your information and cancel his application. If your husband has adverse credit history and gets denied, you could either: 1. Apply with your information as the borrower 2. He could reapply with an endorser (similar to a co-signer) 3. He could document extenuating circumstances for the credit issues But if his application is approved, you're good to go! Just remember that legally, only he is responsible for this debt, not you (even though I understand you both plan to pay it).

We had the same confusion last yr lol. Only my wife is on our daughters PLUS loan even tho we both pay it. Its weird but thats how they do it 🤷‍♂️

I went through the same exact situation last month trying to get a Parent PLUS loan for my son! When I called the Federal Student Aid number to ask about this, I waited on hold for almost 2 hours and then got disconnected. TWICE. I was about to give up when someone recommended Claimyr to me. It's this service that gets you through to a live FSA agent without the wait. I used it and got connected in about 10 minutes - the agent confirmed that PLUS loans are only for one parent at a time and walked me through the whole process. Saved me so much stress! You can check them out at claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works.

You all need to be careful with Parent Plus. The interest rates are CRAZY high compared to regular student loans!!! My daughter graduated 3 years ago and we're STILL paying off her Plus loans. Should have just taken out a home equity loan instead 😡

One thing to note about Parent PLUS loans that hasn't been mentioned: since only one parent is the borrower, if something happens to that parent (death or permanent disability), the loan can be discharged. This is a feature of federal student loans that private loans typically don't offer. So while it seems strange to only have one borrower, it actually provides some protection for your family in worst-case scenarios. The PLUS loan program is designed this way intentionally.

btw make sure u check ur daughters SAI score on the fafsa portal b4 taking out too much in PLUS loans... sometimes kids qualify for more grants than the school tells u about and u dont need as big of a PLUS loan

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion last year! You absolutely did the right thing. I remember calling the financial aid office at my son's school in a panic because I thought we had filled out the Parent PLUS application incorrectly by only including my husband's information. The financial aid counselor explained that unlike the FAFSA (which looks at both parents' income to determine need), the Parent PLUS loan is an individual loan product. Only one parent can be the borrower, and that parent is solely responsible for the debt. It's actually pretty common for families to choose the parent with better credit or higher income to be the borrower. Don't stress about it - you're all set!

This is such a relief to read! I'm a first-time parent going through this process and was completely confused when the Parent PLUS application only asked for one parent's info. I kept refreshing the page thinking it was broken or that I missed a section. It's so different from the FAFSA process where they want everything from both parents. Reading all these responses has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like this single-borrower approach is totally normal and we don't need to worry about "incomplete" applications. Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my daughter's junior year! I was so confused when the Parent PLUS application only had fields for one parent - I literally called my sister who went through this process a few years ago to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. She told me the same thing everyone here is saying: it's completely normal and only one parent can be the borrower. What really helped me understand it was thinking of it like any other loan - when you get a car loan or mortgage, even if you're married, typically only one person is the primary borrower (though you can have co-signers). The Parent PLUS works the same way. I ended up being the borrower since I have slightly better credit than my husband, but either way would have been fine. Don't worry - you did everything correctly!

As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm that you absolutely did everything correctly! The Parent PLUS loan is designed as a single-borrower loan, which is actually different from how many families expect it to work. The confusion is totally understandable because the FAFSA considers both parents' financial information for dependency status and aid calculations, but the PLUS loan itself can only have one borrower. Your husband will be the sole legal borrower on this loan, and the approval will be based entirely on his creditworthiness. Even though you're married and may jointly contribute to payments, only he is legally obligated to repay the debt. This structure actually provides some benefits - if approved, you have the federal loan protections, and if he were to pass away or become permanently disabled, the loan could be discharged. You made the right choice having the parent with better credit apply!