After You Graduate

Exit Loan Counseling

Any student who is graduating or withdrawing from Georgia Tech and has taken out a Student Loan through the Direct Loan program must complete Exit Counseling.

  • If you have taken out a Federal Direct student loan at Georgia Tech, please complete Exit Counseling online.

  • Exit Counseling is required for each degree completed (i.e. Undergraduate/Graduate)

You should email your financial aid advisor if you have any questions. Our advising hours are 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Institute holidays.

Federal Loan Repayment

Repayment of principal and interest begins 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed. Students now have the option to defer payments while their student is in school and can also opt to let the interest accrue until leaving school. However, any interest that accrues from the date of disbursement is added to the outstanding loan balance through a process called capitalization.

Please visit the Bursar’s website for more information regarding Institutional loan repayment and servicing.

Loan Consolidation

The majority of lenders offer student loan consolidation programs to student borrowers. Careful research and planning should precede a decision to consolidate your outstanding student loans. Please refer to our summary below of the advantages and disadvantages of a loan consolidation program.

The Department of Education maintains a website that contains more detailed information regarding loan consolidation.

Advantages

There are certain advantages with loan consolidation, including:

  • lower interest rate

  • lower monthly payments

  • flexible repayment terms

  • one payment to one bank

Disadvantages

There are also certain disadvantages with loan consolidation, including:

  • more interest paid over the life of the loan with an extended repayment period

  • borrower benefits can change (deferment, grace period, etc.)

  • a consolidation loan cannot be reversed