Students and parents who are borrowing for the first time through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program, must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN). The Department of Education provides an electronic version of the Master Promissory Note. Generally this is a faster process than completing a paper promissory note.

lf you are taking out a loan to pay for your own education, then you should complete a Direct Loan MPN for your student loan.

What you need to complete the MPN

Your United States Department of Education PIN number. If you do not have your PIN, please visit the official Web site Federal Student Aid Pin Web site to get your Federal PIN number. Note, a student borrower has a PIN, and the parent borrower has a PIN. The parent PIN is not the same as the student PIN.
Gather the following information:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your driver’s license number
- Names, addresses, and phone numbers for two references
Go to the Electronic MPN Web site to complete your eMPN.

Counseling

If you are a student borrowing for the first time, you also need to complete the Entrance Counseling requirement. For this requirement, please attend Entrance Counseling on the Web.

A parent borrower under the Direct PLUS loan program is not required to complete Entrance Loan Counseling.