What is a Direct Student Loan

A Direct Student Loan is another name for a federally issued student loan in the United States. If you borrowed money from the U.S. Department of Education, you likely took out a Direct Loan.

Since 2010, all federal loans have been Direct student loans. Prior to this, most loans would have been FFEL loans. More on this below. It's called a "Direct" loan because, unlike the old FFEL loans, Direct loans are directly loaned by the U.S. government.

Here’s what you need to know about these loans. If you're just shopping for loans, here's where to find the best student loans.