How to Accept Direct Student Loans

If you have been offered federal direct loans, you will receive an email mid-July notifying you when to complete the process to ACCEPT loans.

You must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours to receive federal direct loans, including Parent PLUS loans.

To apply for a federal direct student loan, follow these directions:

1. Go to VU-x to access your student account.
2. Log in with your VU-x username and password.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and use the “Discover More” button to locate the Financial Aid card.
4. On the Financial Aid card, click on the Award Offers and then click on View Awards Offers.
5. Select Award Year: 2025-2026 from the drop-down box and then click Award Offer.
6. Scroll down to the Loans section.
7. Under “TAKE ACTION” select Accept for the Federal Direct Loan(s) you want to borrow.  If you want to borrow less than what is being offered, select Modify, then enter the amount. Federal regulations require loans to be divided equally into two disbursements, half is applied toward the fall semester and the remaining half is applied toward the spring semester for an academic year loan.
8. Scroll down page and click Submit button.
9. Go to StudentAid.gov and Log In using your FSA ID username and password. 
10. Click I’m in School, then click Complete Entrance Counseling. Click Start for I am an Undergraduate Student. Allow about 30 minutes to complete this process.
11. Once finished with Entrance Counseling, click on Sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN) to complete and E-sign.         
12. Click on Start for I’m an Undergraduate Student. Complete this MPN for Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans. IMPORTANT! For the ‘References’ section, you need two people’s addresses and phone numbers. One can be a parent with the same address as you; the other must be someone with a different address.
13. After you review your data and the loan information, including the Promise to Pay, complete the Sign & Submit section.

If you are a first-time borrower, please be aware that the first disbursement of your loan will not be disbursed to your account until 30 days after school starts. This is a federal requirement schools are required to follow. Please contact us at 812-888-4361 if you have any questions.