Do I have to borrow the full loan amount that I'm offered?

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<span><font><font>Brad received his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Arkansas University, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Business.<span>  </span>He furthered his education by graduating from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University with a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, specializing in Mental Health.<span>  </span>He has been involved in the financial aid and/or rehabilitation professions for the past 15 years.</font></font></span><span><font> </font></span><span><font>Brad, a Past President of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA), currently serves as the Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships for James Madison University.<span>  </span>Immediately prior to JMU, he served as an Assistant Director of the Financial Aid Office at Virginia Commonwealth University.<span>  </span>Brad has presented numerous sessions at state, regional, and national conferences, and has served on a variety of association committees.<span>  </span>In addition to speaking at professional conferences, Brad has conducted an abundance of workshops and presentations in non-conference environments, including teaching a credit based financial literacy course at JMU entitled “Dollars and Sense.”<span>  </span>Many of the topics Brad’s speaks on include communication, leadership, values, financial aid policies and procedures, financial literacy, and saving for college.<span>  </span>He has also facilitated strategic planning and value development retreats.</font></span>

Do I have to borrow the full loan amount that I'm offered?

In this video, Mr. Barnett discusses what a student should do after receiving a financial aid award notice.

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Host: Do I have to borrow the full loan amount that I am offered?

Brad Barnett: Oh, definitely not and we encourage you not to if you can avoid it. Your loan offer maybe at a level that s much higher than what you really to figure out that you need and if that is the case you simply respond in the acceptance process and accept a smaller dollar amount. So do your budget, figure how much you need and please don t accept more loan money than is actually necessary.