Exit Counseling Requirements

Federal regulations require that all federal student loan borrowers complete an exit counseling session prior to graduation, or upon dropping below half-time status. During these sessions you will be provided information regarding your obligation to repay your federal loans, as well as the conditions for deferment, forbearance, and cancellation. These sessions are also an opportunity for you to learn more about loan management after college.

If you are withdrawing, you should contact us at 518-327-6220 so we can provide you with information on the loans that you have borrowed while in attendance at Paul Smith’s College.

If you borrowed any private loans while attending the college, please contact your lender(s) directly for information regarding current balances, repayment, and deferment options.

Exit Sessions

Before you begin the exit counseling session process, you will need your federal loan history. You can obtain this information from the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website (www.nslds.ed.gov). The same federal PIN used in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be used to log in to the NSLDS website and view your federal loan history.

Note that there are two separate processes that you may need to complete depending on which types of loans you borrowed:

1) If you borrowed a Federal Stafford you can complete the online exit counseling for these loans by visiting the appropriate site below. If you have any questions about this process, feel free to contact your financial aid counselor. Be sure to keep confirmation that you completed your session:

 Undergraduate Students go to: https://studentloans.gov

2) If you borrowed a Federal Perkins Student Loan, the Financial Aid Office will contact you with details for completing the exit process. If you completed exit paperwork for these types of loans in a prior semester, but did not graduate, you will need to complete exit paperwork again as the dates of loan repayment will change. Your diploma will not be released until all necessary steps are complete.

If you have questions about any information pertaining to your federal loans, please contact the Financial Aid Office 518-327-6220 or email address is financialaid@paulsmiths.edu. 

FSA Ombudsman Office

The Ombudsman's office is a resource for borrowers when other approaches to resolving student loan problems have failed. Contact: toll-free at 1-877-577-2575 or online at http://www.fsahelp.ed.gov.