Congratulations … You are Graduating! So, what about your financial aid? This page is designed to help you with this important transition to the real world. We will talk about loan repayment, budgeting, and how to be successful during this exciting time in your life.
Exit Counseling
Exit counseling is required when you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment. Exit counseling provides important information you need to prepare to repay your federal student loan(s). To Complete Exit Counseling:
- Go to: studentaid.gov
- Click on the Manage Loan tab
- Click on Complete Exit Counseling on the left
- Choose your Student Type (e.g. undergraduate or graduate/professional) and Log In to Start
- Answer all questions and Click SUBMIT at the end
- You will receive an on-screen confirmation that your Exit Counseling has been completed
Keep Track of Your Loans & Your Repayment Options
- Visit our Student Loan Repayment page for more information and resources.
- Studentaid.gov is the U.S. Department of Education’s central database for student aid.
- Repayment Calculator — You can use the Repayment Estimator to get an idea of what your federal student loan payments might be under each repayment plan that is availaible to you.
Loan Consolidation
- A Direct Consolidation Loan allows you to consolidate (combine) multiple federal education loans into one loan. The result is a single monthly payment instead of multiple payments.
Continue Your Education
- WSU’s Grad School is a great option for you to continue your education. Contact them directly at (509) 335-6424 or Request Information to find more information on the programs they offer and their admissions requirements.
Find a Job
- Brought to you by WSU’s Academic Success and Career Center, Handshake is an online resource where you can post your resume, find career fairs and workshops, schedule interviews, access nation-wide job and internship listings, and much more.
Get Educated About Your Finances
Cougar Money Matters offers i-Grad, a free online program that helps you manage your finances.
- Free online financial education courses
- Upload your student loan information directly for NSLDS so that you can see what repayment options you have based on your student loans.
- Customizable financial tools
- A personal dashboard where you can track your progress
- Articles and resources on topics that students can relate to
- A guide to real-life money questions
Important Things to Avoid As a New Graduate
- Interest — Interest is the price you pay to borrow money. How much will it cost you? Calculating interest depends on a few factors, your interest rate, your loan term, and your loan amount. Higher rates and longer terms mean you pay more for the same amount of money. Try your best to avoid interest whenever you can!
- $10,000 at 6.8% will cost you $13,810 over 10 years with a $115 monthly payment. Paying just $30 more a month will save you over $1,000 in interest.
- Loan Default — If you have debt from either student loans or credit cards, it is extremely important that you manage it proactively. CNN Money reported that the average college graduate in 2013 was leaving school with around $35,000 in some type of debt. Use your options, live on a budget, and pay your debts in the best way that you can. If you are having trouble making any of your payments, contact your loan providers to find out your different repayment options.
WSU is committed to helping students through this transition! For this reason, we have partnered with Student Connections to help students navigate their repayment options! Students entering repayment will be receiving a communication from Student Financial Services introducing you to the Student Connections team. You will also be receiving an email from Student Connections with next steps. As always, we are here to help!