Colin Powell School Student Emergency Loans

Eligibility

To qualify for a loan, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a student referred by an administrator in the Dean’s office at the Colin Powell School for Civic & Global Leadership.
• Reside in New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, or Long Island.
• Have annual household income sufficient to support loan repayment and no higher than the HFLS income limits posted at HFLS.org/How-to-Apply. 
• Have an active checking account.
• Locate one qualified guarantor. Guarantors must reside in NY, NJ, or CT; have annual pre-tax household income of at least $30,000; and have good credit (based on an HFLS review of their recent credit history).

Married/Partnered Applicants and Guarantors: If an applicant or guarantor is married or partnered, they must include their spouse or partner’s information in the application form, as each member of a married or partnered couple is equally responsible for the loan.

After an application is submitted, the spouse or partner of the applicant and guarantor will receive a notification informing them of the loan application and asking them to authorize HFLS to pull their credit report. This confirmation is required in order for HFLS to process the loan. If the loan is approved, the applicant and guarantor spouse or partner must both sign the promissory note upon loan closing. 

Loan Terms and Repayments

Loans will be repaid in monthly installments of $100; a loan of $2,000 will therefore take 20 months to fully repay. Borrowers may choose to make larger monthly payments over a shorter term.

HFLS will withdraw monthly repayments directly from the borrower’s designated checking account via ACH on the date preferred by the borrower (the 5th or 20th of the month) and referenced in their Promissory Note and ACH Form. Repayments will begin approximately one month after the loan funds have been disbursed.

Application Process

Upon submission of an application, HFLS will review the application and contact the applicant to schedule a 15-minute loan interview by phone, during which a Loan Officer will raise any questions, explain the remainder of the loan process and their obligations as a borrower, and answer the applicant’s questions.

HFLS will approve or deny the loan. If the loan is denied, the applicant will receive an email from HFLS noting the reason for the denial. If the loan is approved, HFLS will proceed with the steps below.

Loan Closing and Disbursement

After a loan is approved, HFLS will send the following loan closing documents to the applicant for electronic signature. The applicant will electronically complete and sign the forms where indicated:

• Promissory Note (the legal document the borrower and guarantor sign to agree to the loan terms and receive the loan), accompanied by a Disclosures document (laying out the key loan terms). Borrower and guarantor spouses or partners must sign the Promissory Note as well.
• ACH Form (to authorize HFLS to automatically withdraw loan repayments from their checking account in accordance with the repayment schedule in the Promissory Note and Disclosures document).

Within two business days of receiving the completed and signed Promissory Note and ACH Form, HFLS will close the loan and electronically disburse the approved loan amount directly into the borrower’s checking account. Please note that it may take one or two business days for the funds to appear in the borrower’s account.

Contact Information

If you have questions about HFLS Colin Powell School Student Emergency Loans, please contact Charlene Darbassie, Administrative Manager, at cdarbassie@ccny.cuny.edu or (212) 650-7500.