1. Answer yes to student loans on question 31 when you submit your FAFSA and complete any additional follow-up paperwork our office may require. If you have completed the FAFSA, check the Financial Aid Application Status in the Financial section of VIP for more information
   
   
2. Select or confirm your Stafford Loan lender using VIP. If this is your first time borrowing a Stafford Loan at USC-Columbia, or if you borrowed prior to the 2008-2009 academic year and have not yet confirmed your Stafford Loan lender, you must choose a lender.You can choose a lender on VIP by clicking on "Financial" and then "Stafford Loan Lender Choice."  If you chose a lender in 2008-2009, you may review your lender on VIP. Our office will process your loan using your previously selected lender.

Like many students, you may be unfamiliar with the issues involved in making a lender choice. In order to help you make a good decision, the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships has compiled a listing of lenders that our students have used over the past three years.  The listing will appear on VIP and will always be in random order each time it is viewed.  There is no significance attached to where a lender falls in the listing.  You are not required to select one of the lenders from the listing.  You may want to use a different lender and are free to do so.  The choice is yours.

If you are a new borrower, you will need to read and sign a Master Promissory Note with your chosen lender. You will also need to read and complete Entrance Loan Counseling.