Private loans

We offer a monthly payment plan which allows students and families to pay the term bill in monthly installments, interest free. 

The UMassD Monthly Payment Plan offers a maximum of five payments per term, due August–December and January–May.

Students and Authorized Users enroll online through COIN. Students must set up a parent, spouse, or other family member as an Authorized User to allow them to view the student account, enroll in a payment plan, or make payments.

Students and families estimate their term charges when enrolling. The payment plan automatically self-calculates throughout the term, ensuring that your balance is paid in full and on time. Payments are made through credit card or checking account auto-debit. The student and Authorized User will receive reminders before each monthly installment is processed.

There is an enrollment fee of $40 per term and you must re-enroll each term.

*Please Note: The University of Massachusetts Disclosure Statement Concerning Lenders for Private/Alternative Student Loans: 2022-2023

Every student/parent/guardian has the right to select his/her own lender. The lenders listed on ELMselect.com are independent entities. The University of Massachusetts makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees, implied or otherwise, as to the lenders listed at this site or that the financing options presented at this site are the most attractive terms available to any particular student, or parent, or guardian of a student seeking financial aid. Also, information may not be updated or timely or may be subject to data entry errors or changes by the lender. Please read carefully final loan agreements or promissory notes and understand their payment terms and other obligations.

The University is not a lender and is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, financial planning or other related professional services. Any agreements entered into with the lenders whose products are included at this site will exist solely between the lender and the borrower, and UMass assumes no obligation or liability in connection with any such agreements.

The University recommends that borrowers consult with their own expert advisors before making educational financing decisions. Students and their parents/guardians have the right and ability to select the education loan provider of their choice and are not required to use any of the lenders listed on ELMselect.com. There will be no penalty for choosing a lender that is not included as a lender on this site.

The lenders listed on this website responded to a publicly solicited Request for Proposal (RFP) for private education loans. This request document is bid CP-20-PF-0043. The University reviewed information regarding each lending institution's background, loan program requirements, and customer service and program affiliations. The interest rate, fees, or loan cost offered by these lenders may not be the lowest available.

In addition, a lender may change the rates, terms, fees, and other information from that which was presented in their original responses. The University will review the status of each lender at least annually and may add or drop lenders from this list. The University reviewers from UMass campuses at Lowell, Dartmouth, Boston, and Amherst have declared no personal affiliation, financial interest, benefit, or other personal ties related to these lenders in a signed affidavit maintained on file at the University.

Elm Select is a lender comparison tool where students and parents can research the terms and conditions of different lenders. Through ELM Select, families can choose the loan that best fits their personal financial situation, educational goals and objectives.

Please review Lenders and Lender disclosures and choose the loan which best fits your needs. You can visit ELM Select to compare the lenders on this list. Please note that you are not obligated to select any lender on this list and can choose any Private lender that fits your needs.

Each Lender has different enrollment criteria. Please be sure to indicate your status correctly in order to avoid delays or errors in lender choice.

Go to ELMselect.com to start comparing today!

Effective February 14, 2010, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) requires that before a private educational lender may consummate a private education loan for a student in attendance at an institution of higher education, the private education lender must obtain the completed and signed Self-Certification Form from the applicant.

Students may obtain a Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification Form from their lender or can download their own version of the Private Educational Loan Applicant Self-Certification (pdf). The Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification Form requires the estimated cost of attendance and estimated financial assistance for the period of enrollment covered by the loan. Students may find this information by logging into their COIN account and clicking on the financial aid summary link. This form must be submitted to the lender, not the school.

Loan funds will not be released to the school until the Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification Form is complete and submitted to the lender.

The Financial Aid Office will not certify a Private Loan until the borrower’s file is 100 percent complete with the lender. Borrowers should verify with their lender that all required documents have been completed and received.

A Request for Information is sent annually to lenders and designed so that University of Massachusetts Dartmouth can identify and recommend to its students and parents a group of alternative loan lenders and loan products that have competitive rates, excellent customer service and borrower benefits. Student and parents are advised via the website of the recommended lenders and loans for the academic year, including the information stating that University of Massachusetts Dartmouth will process loans from any lender and that students may apply for loans through the lender of their choice without penalty.

Evaluation Criteria

• Front-end fees and benefits to borrowers
• Repayment benefits and utilization rates
• Quality of service during loan processing, including consumer information
• and web-based service features
• Quality of service during loan servicing, including consumer information
• and web-based service features
• Reputation and history of lender and loan servicer