Health Professions Student Loans

What is a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL)?
Loans are a major form of self-help aid for students. A Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) is a low interest loan limited on the Berkeley campus to Optometry students. To be considered for an HPSL, Optometry students must include parent information on their FAFSA, regardless of their "independent" status for all other programs. UC Berkeley is your lender. The loan is made with government funds, and UC Berkeley contributes a share. You must repay this loan to your school.

How to Receive a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL)
To receive a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) at Berkeley the following criteria must be met:

Your financial aid file must be complete.

Accept the loan in MyFinAid.

Complete a Loan Entrance Counseling Session.

Complete a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Master Promissory Note On-line.

You must be enrolled at least half-time.

1) Your financial aid package must be complete.
If you have missing documents you will not be able to accept your Perkins Loan.

2) Your Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) must be accepted in MyFinAid.
Review your awards to see if the Financial Aid Office has offered you a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL). Not all students are eligible for this type of loan.
Accept your loan on MyFinAid. Be sure to type the actual dollar figure for the amount that you are accepting each semester.

3) You must complete a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Entrance Counseling Session.
The US Department of Education (ED) requires the campus to advise students on loan-repayment obligations and the consequences of loan default before they are disbursed their Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL). Borrowers are required to complete a Loan Entrance Counseling.
You may complete online entrance counseling by going directly to Financial Counselor and clicking on the "Entrance Interview" link. Upon completing the Entrance Interview click on the link to sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN). The results will be submitted electronically to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office within 48 hours.

ED also requires students who have borrowed Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) to complete an Online Exit Counseling session before leaving Berkeley. Exit Counseling and information about your Perkins loan can be accessed at Financial Counselor; click on the "Exit Interview" link.

4) You must complete and sign the required Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Master Promissory Note (MPN).
You may complete this process at E-Sign Online. Please review the hardware and software sections at the website before starting an electronic MPN. You will be required to use your U.S. Department of Education issued PIN to complete an electronic MPN. For additional information or to ask general PIN questions, you can visit the official PIN site. The E-Sign Online site is for completing a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Program electronic MPN. After entering all of the required information, print the MPN for your records. Be sure to click on the last "Submit" button to finalize the process.

5) For your Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) funds to be disbursed you must also be enrolled at least half-time and have no registration or financial blocks.
The Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) funds will be transferred to your CARS account. There, it will pay any outstanding balances and/or you will receive a CARS refund.

If you cannot successfully complete the online MPN or Entrance Counseling, contact Billing and Payment Services for assistance by sending an email to myloan@berkeley.edu or calling (510) 642-3190. Include your UC Berkeley student identification number. NOTE: This email address is only for MPNs and Entrance Counseling. Any questions about financial aid should be directed to the graduate/professional email address of fao_grad@berkeley.edu or the undergraduate email address of fao_ugr@berkeley.edu.