Where do I apply for Parent PLUS loans - through FAFSA or directly with my daughter's college?

You apply for Parent PLUS loans through studentaid.gov, not through FAFSA itself or the school directly. Here's the process: 1. YOU (the parent) need to create your own FSA ID if you don't already have one 2. Go to studentaid.gov and log in with YOUR FSA ID (not your daughter's) 3. Look for the "Apply for Aid" section and select "Apply for a Parent PLUS Loan" 4. Complete the application and credit check The school isn't involved until after you're approved. Then they'll certify the loan amount and add it to your daughter's aid package. Just know there's a 4.228% origination fee deducted from the loan amount before disbursement, so apply for slightly more than you need.

Parent plus loans are THE WORST!!!! 7.9% interest that starts accumulating IMMEDIATELY unlike student loans. My son's college didn't tell us that part! I'm $58K in debt from his first 2 years alone. Look into private loans first - credit unions sometimes have better rates if your credit is decent.

we had to go to the aid office in person after we aplied online. the fasfa site approved us but nothing happened until we went to the school financial aid people and signed more paperworks there. its confusng!

Trying to reach someone at the FSA office to ask Parent PLUS loan questions was a complete nightmare for me last month. I was on hold for over 3 hours and then got disconnected twice! Finally, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in less than 15 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me hours of frustration when I had specific questions about my PLUS loan application that weren't answered on the website.

My daughter's school had a special parent portal where we could see all the options including the parent plus loan!! Check if your daughter's school has an online portal for parents - might have more info than what they sent in the package letter.

One important thing to remember with Parent PLUS loans - they're in YOUR name only, not your daughter's. My oldest graduated 4 years ago and I'm still paying off her PLUS loans. Make sure you both have a clear agreement about who's responsible for payments after graduation. I wish I'd been more clear with my daughter about expectations.

After you apply for the Parent PLUS loan on studentaid.gov and get approved, you also need to complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the PLUS loan. Don't forget this step! Many parents miss it and wonder why their loan isn't being processed. The MPN is basically your loan agreement document. Also, if you're borrowing for the full academic year, you'll get half for fall semester and half for spring semester - the school splits the disbursement automatically based on your daughter's enrollment.

Just wanted to add that timing matters too! If you're applying for fall semester, try to get your Parent PLUS application submitted by late spring/early summer. The earlier you apply, the sooner your daughter's financial aid office can finalize her complete aid package. Also, if you're denied for the PLUS loan (which can happen even with decent credit due to their specific criteria), your daughter becomes eligible for additional unsubsidized federal loans - up to $4,000 more for freshmen/sophomores and $5,000 more for juniors/seniors. So it's not the end of the world if you don't get approved! Best of luck with the process - it's confusing at first but once you get through it the first time, it becomes much easier for subsequent years.

Marina, I went through this exact same confusion last year with my son! Here's what I learned: you definitely need to apply through studentaid.gov (not FAFSA directly), and you'll need your own FSA ID as others mentioned. But here's something that might help - before you apply for the Parent PLUS loan, call your daughter's financial aid office and ask about their "Cost of Attendance" breakdown. They can tell you exactly how much gap you have between her current aid and total costs, so you know exactly how much to borrow. Also, some schools have Parent PLUS loan information sessions in April/May - worth asking if they offer one. It really helped me understand the whole process better than trying to figure it out alone online!