Undergraduate Student - Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS)

Undergraduate Student Loan Overview

The Undergraduate Student Loan Program provides interest-free loans of up to $7,500 to low- and moderate-income residents of New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, or Long Island to help pay undergraduate education expenses.

Loan applicants must have annual pre-tax household income at or below the income limits for their household size.

HFLS Income Limits

Household Size	1 person	2 person	3 person	4 person	5 person	6 person	7 person	8 person
Household Income	85,890	98,180	110,470	122,690	132,540	142,385	152,160	162,005

The student’s parents are typically the borrower. A borrower may take one loan per academic year over up to four years that the student is in school. Students must have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Undergraduate Student Loans have a grace period of three months before repayments begin. Loans are repaid in 25 monthly installments of $300/month; one loan is repaid at a time in the order in which they are taken. Monthly loan payments are made by electronic debit of a checking account.

Guarantor Information

Guarantor Overview

Two guarantors are required for all loans, and both guarantors must complete and sign Guarantor Forms. A married couple is considered one guarantor. If a guarantor is married, his or her spouse must also complete and sign the Guarantor Form.

Each guarantor is “jointly” and “severally” liable for the loan in the event you are unable to pay for any reason. This means that, while HFLS would expect each guarantor to share equally in the responsibility of repaying the loan, each is liable legally for the full amount, and any one guarantor could be called upon to repay the balance due.

Who may be a guarantor?

Guarantors must meet the following criteria:

US citizens or legal residents currently living in NYC’s five boroughs, Westchester, or Long Island
Have a checking account, good credit, and total family income of at least $50,000 a year
Currently employed (HFLS prefers persons who have worked at least one year in their present position)

Who may not be a guarantor?

Even if they meet the requirements above, the following people may not guarantee a loan:

Persons living in the same household as the borrower
Persons who currently have an HFLS loan or are a guarantor on an HFLS loan
Pulpit Clergy (clergy are often asked to guarantee due to their high visibility within their community; this rule, therefore, exists for their own protection)
Persons who are unable to repay the loan

Loan Documents & Interview

What documents must an applicant submit to HFLS?

The documents below are required for an Undergraduate Student Loan. Once you have completed or collected all the documents below and have all necessary signatures, contact the HFLS office at [email protected] to schedule a loan interview, which will be conducted via phone or video (Zoom) call. Please submit the following documents to HFLS prior to your interview.

From the borrower:

Loan Application, completed and signed by the borrower (and their spouse, if they are married). (Download the Loan Application Form at the bottom of this page.)
Student Loan Financial Aid Officer Assessment Form, completed and signed by a Financial Aid Officer at the student’s school
Printout of the student’s most recent tuition bill
Copies of government-issued photo IDs that include signatures and serve as proof of address for the borrower and their spouse (e.g. driver’s license). If the driver’s license does not include the borrower’s current address, HFLS will require proof of residency (e.g. a utility bill or account statement).
Voided check for the borrower’s checking account.

From the guarantors (guarantors may choose to send these documents directly to HFLS):

Guarantor Forms, completed and signed by the guarantors and their spouses, if they are married. (Download the Guarantor Forms at the bottom of this page.)
Copies of government-issued photo IDs that include signatures for the guarantors and their spouses, if they are married (e.g. driver’s license or U.S. passport).

Failure to submit these documents will delay the processing of your application.

What is the Loan Interview?

All applicants must have a brief, in-person loan interview with an HFLS Loan Officer. The documents listed above should be submitted to HFLS before or at the loan interview.

During the loan interview, an HFLS Loan Officer will review your application and other required documents with you, ask any relevant questions, determine whether any additional information is needed, and answer any questions you have about HFLS and the rest of the loan application process (described below).

You can select the location of your interview: At our Manhattan office (675 Third Ave at 42nd Street), where we conduct interviews from 9-5 pm Monday through Thursday, or at the Shorefront Y or Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, where we have loan interviews in the evenings once a month.

Loan Decisions & Closing

How long does it take HFLS to review and decide on my loan application?

HFLS reviews and decides on loan applications weekly. If we have questions about your application or guarantor, you may receive a call or email from a Loan Officer asking for further information before HFLS will make its decision.

You will receive information within approximately one week of your interview advising you whether your loan has been approved. HFLS, in its discretion, may decline to make a loan, make a loan in an amount less than that requested, or require different or additional guarantors.

If my loan is approved, what happens next?

If your loan is approved, the email you receive will contain instructions to complete the final loan paperwork via DocuSign or email. The final loan paperwork includes:

A Promissory Note, to be signed by the borrower, guarantors, and all spouses
An Authorization of Automatic Payments (ACH) form, so monthly loan payments can be withdrawn automatically from your checking account.

Once HFLS receives the signed documents above, we will disburse your loan funds directly into your checking account within one week. (Please note that it may take a few days after the disbursement for the loan funds to appear in your checking account.)