For College Administrators

Our dedicated training and resources support your efforts to help college students and their families plan and pay for college.

MEFA’s Certification Platform ELM Certification

I want to certify a loan using…

MEFA’s Certification Platform ELM Certification

Certification FAQs Webinars Loan Rates U.Plan Guiding Principles Related Resources Our Team

MEFA’s Certification Platform

If your school isn’t registered through ELM, use MEFA’s platform to certify MEFA Loans for all of your students. By certifying MEFA Loans, you are authorizing on behalf of your institution that you have ensured that each of the following statements is true:

1

The MEFA Loan has been certified for an amount equal to or less than 100% of the student’s cost of attendance less other financial aid received for the academic period.

2

The student is admitted or enrolled at least half time in an accredited degree-granting program and is making satisfactory academic progress as defined by your institution.

Quick Certification Actions

Add new users

Modify current user access

Set up electronic disbursements via a wire transfer

Send refunds via EFT Form

ELM Loan Certification

MEFA is pleased to work with ELM Resources as a lender partner. By certifying MEFA Loans via ELM, you are authorizing on behalf of your institution that you have ensured that each of the following statements is true:

1

The MEFA Loan has been certified for an amount equal to or less than 100% of the student’s cost of attendance less other financial aid received for the academic period.

2

The student is admitted or enrolled at least half time in an accredited degree-granting program and is making Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by your institution.

MEFA Online Certification FAQs

Certifications
Disbursement
Refunds
Loan Status Reports
General, Login, & Profile Settings

Can MEFA Loans be used for summer enrollment?

Yes, students may borrow a MEFA Loan for the summer session if they are enrolled less than half time, provided they are enrolled at least half time during the academic year. Summer loans may be certified using the student’s enrollment status for the current academic year.

Can a MEFA Loan be used for a prior balance?

Yes, a MEFA Loan can be used to cover a prior balance for the previous semester. At the time of certification, the student must be enrolled, intending to enroll, or have completed their degree.

Can I request email reminders to let me know when I have loans ready to certify?

Yes. You can request reminders by selecting Email Notifications in the My Profile Settings section on the bottom of the right-hand sidebar.

How are the records on my Certification List sorted?

Loans are sorted by name only.

What format should I use when entering graduation dates and loan periods?

Enter data for month and year only in the following format: mm/yyyy. Be sure to include the forward-slash (/) when entering the date. Note that the Loan Period Start Date is always the first day of the specified month, and the Loan Period End and Graduation Date is the last day of the specified month.

How do I find out who certified a loan?

On the detail page for the loan, click on the tab labeled History. You will see a list of transactions, with a date and username included for each. Some transactions (such as cancellations) are listed as “system” transactions because they were completed by a specific system process, even though the initial request was made by a school user.

How can I be sure that my certifications were submitted successfully?

You can always check on the status of a student’s loan by pulling up the record by Application ID or SSN and clicking on the name of the student to see the loan detail. Or you can view the status of loans through the Loan Status Report.

Why would I be required to log in again?

There are two possible reasons:

Your connection to the MEFA website may have been briefly interrupted due to local or external communication problems.

You may have exceeded the timeout limits for your session (more than 30 minutes without a save on the Certification or Update screens).

If you think you might be interrupted while certifying loans online, we recommend that you break up your certification entries into small groups and save your work frequently.

If a student’s eligibility increases or decreases after I certify the loan, can I still make changes? Can changes be made to a loan that is fully disbursed?

At any time before the first disbursement, you can change the certified loan amount, disbursement amounts, and disbursement dates through either the View Loan Status page or Update Loan page. After the first disbursement has been sent, you can modify subsequent disbursements. Once the loan is fully disbursed, you cannot make any changes. If a student needs to increase their loan after it’s been fully disbursed, they will need to apply for a new loan.

What is MEFA’s Lender Code? Guarantor Code? Program Codes?

MEFA’s Lender Code is 733921. MEFA’s ‘s Guarantor Code is E10.

MEFA’s Program Codes are as follows:

MEFA Undergraduate 15-yr Immediate: G67

MEFA Undergraduate 10-yr Immediate: M27

MEFA Undergraduate Interest-Only: R01

MEFA Undergraduate Deferred: G61

MEFA Undergraduate Deferred with Co-Borrower Release Provision: M26

MEFA Graduate Interest-Only: R02

MEFA Graduate Deferred: G62

Download this reference chart with MEFA’s loan codes.

Does MEFA only disburse on Fridays?

Yes, MEFA only disburses on Fridays for non-NDN disbursements.

Where can I see pending disbursements?

To see pending disbursements, click on the student’s name on the View Loan Status page or look up the individual loan on the Loan Update page.

Are disbursement rosters downloadable?

Yes, you may enter a disbursement date range and download disbursement details. Totals by date is for quick reference view only, and cannot be downloaded.

Can I select more than one disbursement week for display or print?

Yes. You can enter start and end dates representing a range of up to 90 days (approximately 12 weeks). Disbursement rosters are available for one year prior to today’s date.

How do I reformat Social Security numbers after I download my data?

By default, any leading zeroes in Social Security numbers will be truncated when you view the file in Excel, but the full number remains available behind the scenes. To format this field to display all nine characters:

Highlight the SSN column.
Go to the Format menu and select Cells.
Under the Number heading, choose Custom.
Type nine zeroes in the available box (000000000).
Click OK.

What is the best/preferred method for processing MEFA Loan refunds?

Whether you receive funds directly from MEFA (via check or EFT) or through ELM NDN, the preferred method is an electronic refund. If utilizing NDN, you can return funds via the NDN refund process. If you receive funds through MEFA, please complete the School Refund EFT Transmittal Form.

Our school is unable to send refunds electronically. Can we send a paper check?

While we strongly encourage you to send refunds electronically via our School Refund EFT Transmittal Form, we will accept paper refunds. Please send any loan refund checks to:

MEFA
Attn: Loan Refunds
60 State Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02109

A student recently requested a reduction to their MEFA loan. What is the best method for adjusting that loan?

If a student has requested a loan reduction prior to disbursement, you can reduce the loan amount (and make any other adjustments) directly in the MEFA portal. If the student has requested a loan reduction after disbursement, you will need to process a refund as outlined above. All interest will be reversed on the refunded amount.

How do I find the Application ID for my students’ loans?

Click on the download link at the top left-hand side of the report. Each time you download loan status data to your desktop via Excel, the new file will be given a different name. You will still be able to change the name of the downloaded file when you save it.

How can I download my loan status data into Excel?

How do I change the criteria and get new results for my search?

In the right-hand corner of any light blue header bar, you will see an open/close indicator of an arrow pointing up or down. Click on the arrow to expand the section, view details, and make changes.

Can I see all search results listed on one page instead of limiting the number of rows displayed to 25, 50, or 100 records per page?

You can see a complete list on one page by downloading the data to an Excel file. We limit the number of rows per page on our website to maintain efficient system response times.

What are the requirements for my password?

At least eight characters in length
At least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, and one number
No symbols or other special characters

Can I reuse my passwords?

For security reasons, the system will not allow you to reuse your three previous passwords.

Why does my password expire after 90 days?

We require periodic password changes to help protect personal information about your loan, disbursements, and certification.

How can I change my password?

You can change your password as often as you like through the Change Password link at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar. You will need your current username and password.

What should I do if I can’t remember my password?

You can reset your password online. On the Login page, click Forgot Your Password? and enter your username, and then answer the security question. MEFA will email you a temporary password, which you can use to log in and create a new password.

After I apply for access to MEFA’s Loan Certification Platform, how will I find out my new username and password?

Your username will be the email address you used to request access. MEFA will contact you with your username and password in two separate emails, usually within 24 hours after we receive the request for your access.

What does “User ID is locked out” mean?

It means that you have unsuccessfully tried to log in more than three times. Please contact MEFA’s College Relations Team at 800-449-6332 or [email protected] to reset your password.

Can I change my security question?

Yes, you can change your security question as often as you like through the Security Question link at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar. You will need your username and password.

ELM Certification FAQs

Can I see previous year MEFA Loans on ELM?

If you are a college administrator at an institution that certifies student loans through ELMOne, you will see all active and prior MEFA Loans within that platform from July 1, 2019 onward.

Can MEFA Loans be used for summer enrollment?

Should schools be processing MEFA Loans as student loans or parent/sponsor loans?

The MEFA Undergraduate Loan is considered a family loan, and the student is not the primary borrower on the loan. For MEFA Undergraduate Loans, the borrower data will be different than the student data. You should look for, and upload, borrower data into your loan management system when certifying MEFA Undergraduate Loans.

As a school, you can view borrower data in three ways:

– Via the borrower Information section of the Certification Details record
– Via the SP2 file for those profiled to receive a CL response file from ELM
– Via the Certifications Report via ELMOne (ELM NSC can assist a school’s setup)

If your school is unable to add separate borrower data to your loan management system, we recommend you certify MEFA Loans manually in ELMOne. Please Note: For MEFA Graduate Loans, student information is populated in both the student and borrower fields.

How do I set up loan periods?

Depending on your certification method, you will either set up a loan period on your FAM system or use templates in ELMOne.

What is MEFA’s Lender Code? Guarantor Code? Program Codes?

“MEFA’s Lender Code is 733921. MEFA’s ‘s Guarantor Code is E10.

MEFA’s Program Codes are as follows:

MEFA Undergraduate 15-yr Immediate: G67

MEFA Undergraduate 10-yr Immediate: M27

MEFA Undergraduate Interest-Only: R01

MEFA Undergraduate Deferred: G61

MEFA Undergraduate Deferred with Co-Borrower Release Provision: M26

MEFA Graduate Interest-Only: R02

MEFA Graduate Deferred: G62

Download this reference chart with MEFA’s loan codes.

Are there additional requirements when certifying a MEFA Loan through ELM?

We require that you enter each student’s cost of attendance and estimated financial aid amount when certifying using ELMOne or CommonLine File. Additionally, the certified MEFA Loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance minus the estimated financial aid amount. We cannot commit to or disburse a MEFA Loan until these criteria have been met. Do not include the MEFA Loan amount in the estimated financial aid amount.

How should we handle refunds for MEFA versus ELM NDN disbursed loans?

You can submit refund requests through ELMOne for all loans, regardless of who initially deposited the funds into your school’s account. The actual funds returned from your school, however, will need to be sent to the entity (MEFA or ELM NDN) that originally disbursed the funds. ELM NDN is not able to accept returned funds or data for disbursements originated by MEFA. These funds, if received by you, will be returned to you with a message to return the funds directly to MEFA.

When can I schedule disbursements on ELM NDN?

For NDN disbursements, MEFA will disburse on your school’s preferred disbursement dates that are set up in ELMOne.

Can MEFA Loans be certified for a prior balance?

A MEFA Loan can be used to cover a prior balance for the previous semester. At the time of certification, the student must be enrolled, intending to enroll, or have completed a degree.

Recorded Webinars

Video

Current State of Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plans

Play Video

Video

Learn About the MASFA for Financial Aid Administrators

Play Video

Video

Summer Loan Training for College Administrators

Play Video

Video

Financial Aid for College Admissions Professionals

Play Video

Student Loan Interest Rates

Undergraduate Loans Rates
Graduate Loans Rates

	10-Year Immediate Repayment	15-Year Immediate Repayment	Interest-Only Repayment	Deferred Repayment	Student Deferred Repayment with Co-Borrower Release¹
Interest Rate	Fixed interest rates 5.75% – 8.50%	Fixed interest rates 6.00% – 8.65%	Fixed interest rates 7.15% – 8.95%	Fixed interest rates 7.30% – 8.75%	Fixed interest rates 7.40% – 8.85%
APR³	5.75% – 8.50%	6.00% – 8.65%	7.15% – 8.95%	6.73% – 8.75%	6.81% – 8.85%
Monthly Payment Per $10k Borrowed⁵	$111.32 – $126.57	$85.63 – $101.46	In school: $60.63 – $76.22 End of in-school period²: $111.55 – $121.95	In school: $0 End of deferment period⁴: $144.01 – $161.34	In school: $0 End of deferment period^{4: $145.16 – $162.59}

¹Non-student co-borrower(s) may be eligible for release after the required number of on-time consecutive payments as required by loan program or state provision have been satisfactorily achieved. To be approved for co-borrower release, the student borrower must meet MEFA’s then-current underwriting criteria.
² In-school period is the period as defined in the MEFA Undergraduate Loan Application and Solicitation Disclosure found in the Disclosures section below on this page.
³ The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is designed to help consumers understand the relative cost of a loan and reflects MEFA’s current underwriting criteria, loan rates, and deferment period assumption. MEFA’s lowest rates are only available to the most creditworthy applicants.
⁴ Deferment period is the period as defined in Undergraduate Repayment Options within the Loan Details section below.
⁵ Monthly payment is calculated based on a college freshman with four years until graduation. All dollar amounts are estimates.

Typically on an annual basis, the MEFA undergraduate and graduate loan rates are reset for the upcoming academic year. Once you receive an offered rate on an approved loan application, that rate will not change.

	Interest-Only Repayment	Deferred Repayment
Interest Rate	Fixed interest rates 7.15% – 8.95%	Fixed interest rates 7.30% – 8.75%
APR³	7.15% – 8.95%	7.04% – 8.75%
Monthly Payment Per $10k Borrowed¹	In school: $60.63 – $76.22 End of in-school period²: $111.55 – $116.01	In school: $0 End of deferment period⁴: $128.58 – $143.53

¹ Monthly payment is calculated based on a graduate student with three years until graduation. All dollar amounts are estimates.
² In-school period is the period as defined in the MEFA Graduate Loan Application and Solicitation Disclosure found in the Disclosures tab of this chart.
³ The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is designed to help consumers understand the relative cost of a loan and reflects MEFA’s current underwriting criteria, loan rates, and deferment period assumption. MEFA’s lowest rates are only available to the most creditworthy applicants.
⁴ Deferment period is the period as defined in Graduate Repayment Options within the Loan Details section below.

Disclosures & Fact Sheets

MEFA’s Undergraduate Loan Application and Solicitation Disclosure

MEFA’s Graduate Loan Application and Solicitation Disclosure

MEFA Loans Self-Certification Form

MEFA’s Undergraduate Loans Fact Sheet

MEFA’s Graduate Loans Fact Sheet

U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program

If you serve as a U.Plan administrator at your school, create an online account to manage your U.Plan rosters and set up ACH/EFT to receive U.Plan funds electronically.

Video

Navigating the U.Plan Portal for College Administrators

Play Video

Video

Navigating the U.Plan System

Play Video

Refund a U.Plan Payment

Use our U.Plan Distribution Refund Form to refund all or a portion of a student’s U.Plan payment to MEFA.

Access the Form

MEFA’s Guiding Principles

As a state authority established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to help families cover education expenses, we adhere to a set of guiding principles that promote borrower success.

Learn More

Advisory & Outreach Programs

MEFA makes affordable education loans and serves as a trusted guide, walking families through the maze of higher education options and offering free advisory services.

Encourage Smart & Responsible Borrowing

MEFA encourages families to make the best possible borrowing decisions for their individual circumstances.

Affordable Student Loan Terms & Repayment Options

MEFA offers affordable education loans with transparent terms and guides borrowers through all repayment options available to them

Help for Borrowers in Distress

MEFA works closely with borrowers experiencing personal hardship or financial difficulties to offer guidance and assistance.

Stay Connected with Us

Sign up to receive emails with information on our loan program and helping guide students and families through college planning

Relevant

Timely

Informative

Meet the College Relations Team

Darina Barreto

Assistant Director of College Relations

Darina joined the MEFA team in 2019. In her role, she onboards new colleges and universities while creating a relationship with each school. Darina works closely with the college relations team to resolve issues and improve MEFA’s servicing capabilities to make it easier for schools to work with MEFA. Before joining the team at MEFA, while acquiring her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Framingham State University, Darina worked in multiple departments where she gained a high level of leadership and customer relationship building skills.

Shawn Morrissey

Director of College Relations

Shawn joined MEFA in 2022 and has nearly 30 years of experience working in the financial aid industry. In his role at MEFA, he works with colleges and universities to amplify MEFA’s public service mission to help families plan, save, and pay for college. Shawn has served in several leadership positions in local, regional, and national associations, including serving as MASFAA and EASFAA President and regional representative to the NASFAA Board and currently serves as Sector Interests Committee Chair and a member of the Conference Committee with EASFAA. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Anna Maria College.

Stephanie L. Wells

Director of College Relations

Stephanie Wells joined MEFA in 2001 and has 30 years of experience in the higher education financing industry. She is a member of the NASFAA Associate Member Advisory Board and also serves on MASFAA’s conference committee. Stephanie is passionate about MEFA’s public mission of educating and supporting families on the college enrollment and financing process. She is a seasoned presenter, having educated students, families, school counselors and financial aid administrators on many topics related to financing higher education. She is also a longtime volunteer for The First Tee Massachusetts Boston chapter committed to helping kids build character strengths and important life skills through the game of golf. Stephanie received her B.S. Degree in Speech Communications from Bridgewater State University and has completed graduate study for a joint Master’s degree in Public Administration and Political Science at Suffolk University.

Volunteer to Become a MEFA Ambassador

Sign up to give presentations about financial aid, admissions, paying the college bill, or saving for college at high schools in your community.

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For College Administrators

I want to certify a loan using…

MEFA’s Certification Platform

1

2

Quick Certification Actions

ELM Loan Certification

1

2

MEFA Online Certification FAQs

Can MEFA Loans be used for summer enrollment?

Can a MEFA Loan be used for a prior balance?

Can I request email reminders to let me know when I have loans ready to certify?

How are the records on my Certification List sorted?

What format should I use when entering graduation dates and loan periods?

How do I find out who certified a loan?

How can I be sure that my certifications were submitted successfully?

Why would I be required to log in again?

If a student’s eligibility increases or decreases after I certify the loan, can I still make changes? Can changes be made to a loan that is fully disbursed?

What is MEFA’s Lender Code? Guarantor Code? Program Codes?

Does MEFA only disburse on Fridays?

Where can I see pending disbursements?

Are disbursement rosters downloadable?

Can I select more than one disbursement week for display or print?

How do I reformat Social Security numbers after I download my data?

What is the best/preferred method for processing MEFA Loan refunds?

Our school is unable to send refunds electronically. Can we send a paper check?

A student recently requested a reduction to their MEFA loan. What is the best method for adjusting that loan?

How do I find the Application ID for my students’ loans?

How can I download my loan status data into Excel?

How do I change the criteria and get new results for my search?

Can I see all search results listed on one page instead of limiting the number of rows displayed to 25, 50, or 100 records per page?

What are the requirements for my password?

Can I reuse my passwords?

Why does my password expire after 90 days?

How can I change my password?

What should I do if I can’t remember my password?

After I apply for access to MEFA’s Loan Certification Platform, how will I find out my new username and password?

What does “User ID is locked out” mean?

Can I change my security question?

ELM Certification FAQs

Can I see previous year MEFA Loans on ELM?

Can MEFA Loans be used for summer enrollment?

Should schools be processing MEFA Loans as student loans or parent/sponsor loans?

How do I set up loan periods?

What is MEFA’s Lender Code? Guarantor Code? Program Codes?

Are there additional requirements when certifying a MEFA Loan through ELM?

How should we handle refunds for MEFA versus ELM NDN disbursed loans?

When can I schedule disbursements on ELM NDN?

Can MEFA Loans be certified for a prior balance?

Recorded Webinars

Current State of Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plans

Learn About the MASFA for Financial Aid Administrators

Summer Loan Training for College Administrators

Financial Aid for College Admissions Professionals

Student Loan Interest Rates

Disclosures & Fact Sheets

U.Plan Prepaid Tuition Program

Navigating the U.Plan Portal for College Administrators

Navigating the U.Plan System

Refund a U.Plan Payment

Contact us to create a U.Plan account

MEFA’s Guiding Principles

Advisory & Outreach Programs

Encourage Smart & Responsible Borrowing

Affordable Student Loan Terms & Repayment Options

Help for Borrowers in Distress

Stay Connected with Us

Related Resources

Meet the College Relations Team

Darina Barreto

Assistant Director of College Relations

Shawn Morrissey

Director of College Relations

Stephanie L. Wells

Director of College Relations

Contact Us

Volunteer to Become a MEFA Ambassador