Consumer information

The Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing financial aid office communicates with all students via email. If you change your email address, be sure to notify us.

We are committed to providing you and your family with the best information on student borrowing. In support of this, and in an effort to rule out any perceived or actual conflict of interest between Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing officers, employees or agents and education loan lenders, we have adopted the following:

• We do not participate in any revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender.
• We do not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office (or otherwise involved in the administration of education loans) to accept gifts of greater than a nominal value from any lender, guarantor or servicer.
• We do not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office (or otherwise involved in the administration of education loans) to accept any fee, payment or other financial benefit (including a stock purchase option) from a lender or affiliate of a lender as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.
• We do not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office (or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans) to accept anything of value from a lender, guarantor or group of lenders and/or guarantors in exchange for service on an advisory board, commission or other group established by such a lender, guarantor group of lenders and/or guarantors. The School of Nursing does allow for the reasonable reimbursement of expenses associated with participation in such boards, commissions or groups by lenders, guarantors or groups of lenders and/or guarantors.
• We do not assign a lender to any first-time borrower through financial aid packaging or any other means.
• We recognize that you have the right to choose any lender from which to borrow to finance your education. The School of Nursing will not refuse to certify or otherwise deny or delay certification of a loan based on your selection of a lender and/or guarantor.
• We will not request or accept any offer of funds to be used for private education loans to you from any lender in exchange for providing the lender with a specified number or volume of Title IV loans, or a preferred lender arrangement for Title IV loans. We will not request or accept any assistance with call center or financial aid office staffing.

We are committed to informing you about default and debt management. Many of our students rely on student loans to assist them with their educational costs. Carefully consider the amount of debt you will incur during your academic career. Borrowing loans to pay for college has long-term financial implications. Like any other debt, a student loan is a serious financial obligation that must be repaid. In addition to the principal amount you borrow, you will be charged interest. Failure to make on-time monthly payments may affect your credit rating and your ability to borrow in the future.

Default and debt management education should start in your first year at the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing and extend through graduation. While borrowing is easy, repayment can be challenging — so it’s important to know what to expect. You can find a loan repayment calculator at StudentLoans.gov.

• Amount: Think about how much you need to borrow. Do you need to borrow the full amount for which you are eligible?
• Number of loans: If you decide to continue your education after graduating from the School of Nursing, your total indebtedness will be affected.
• Loan limits: Most student loan programs specify minimum and maximum amounts you can borrow.
• Length of repayment period: Choosing a shorter repayment period will reduce overall interest costs.
• Minimum monthly payments: Your monthly payments will depend on the amount you borrow and the repayment plan you select.
• Borrowers rights and responsibilities: Be sure you understand your rights and responsibilities under each loan program — and that you keep all financial aid paperwork.

Borrowing responsibly will help you:

• Establish your credit
• Secure future loan borrowing for things like purchasing a home or car, or graduate school
• Obtain credit cards

• Deferment: When you can postpone repaying your loan
• Forbearance: When a lender allows you to temporarily postpone repaying the principal, but the interest charges continue to accrue
• Consolidation: The combining of several student loans into one bigger loan from a single lender
• Loan forgiveness: When, under certain circumstances, the federal government will cancel all debt

Neglecting your student loan responsibility may result in serious consequences. In some cases, the following steps may be taken to recover outstanding balances due:

• The Department of the Treasury may offset your federal and/or state tax refunds and any other payments, as authorized by law, to repay your defaulted loan.
• You may have to pay additional collection costs.
• You may be subject to administrative wage garnishment. This is where the Department of Education requires your employer to forward 15% of your disposable pay toward repayment of your loan.
• The Department of Education may take legal action to force you to repay the loan.
• Credit bureaus may be notified, and your credit rating will suffer.

If your student loan goes into default, help is available. To find out if you are eligible for the Default Rehabilitation Program and to establish a monthly repayment plan, contact your loan servicer.

As a student loan borrower, you have many rights and responsibilities. It’s important to be informed about all aspects of your student loans, including:

• Loan balances
• Repayment options
• Fees
• Grace periods
• Interest rates
• Default and its consequences
• Consolidation

As a student loan borrower, you are borrowing money and agreeing to pay it back. You are also bound by many important responsibilities during the life of the loan. If you do not repay your loan on time or according to the terms in your promissory note, you may go into default. Default has serious consequences and will affect your credit rating.

As a student of the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing, you have many rights and responsibilities, including:

• The right to know the method used to determine your need
• The right to be awarded financial aid in an equitable manner (as funds permit)
• The option to decline all or any part of financial aid awards (must be in writing)
• The ability to return loan proceeds within 14 days of the date of disbursement
• That any changes made to your financial aid eligibility and/or your awards should be done in writing
• A review of your financial aid application due to special or unusual circumstances (must be requested in writing)
• The right to contact the Federal Student Financial Aid Ombudsman to resolve issues related to student loans at 877-557-2575

Students also have the right to the following:

• Written information on your loan obligations and information on your rights and responsibilities as a student loan borrower
• A grace period and an explanation of what it means
• A disclosure statement before you begin to repay your loan, including information about your interest rate, associated fees, the balance you owe and the calculated number of payments during your repayment period
• Information on deferment and forbearance options
• Information on prepayment of your student loan
• A copy of your MPN (the legally binding paperwork necessary to obtain a loan)
• Documentation that your student loan is paid in full

• Completing entrance counseling before your loan is disbursed to the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing (for first-time borrowers only)
• Completing exit counseling before you graduate, leave school or drop below half-time enrollment status
• Repaying your student loan even if you do not complete your academic program, are dissatisfied with your education or are unable to find employment after you graduate

• Change your address
• Change your name
• Withdraw from school or drop below half-time enrollment
• Transfer to another school
• Fail to enroll or re-enroll in school for the period for which the loan was intended
• Change your expected graduation date or graduate

• You must make monthly payments on your loan after your grace period ends (unless you request and are approved for a deferment or forbearance).
• You must notify your lender of anything that might alter your eligibility for an existing deferment or forbearance.
• Additional information on this is available online at:

• American Education Services
• You can deal with it
• National student loan data system
• Mapping your future
• Federal Student Financial Aid Ombudsman

The School of Nursing is protected under Geisinger Lewistown Hospital security. The hospital campus has a complete emergency conduct plan in place for various emergency situations. See the Cleary Act Report on the student page for more information on campus security.