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Nicholls State University
Office of Financial Aid

Code of Conduct

Nicholls State University is committed to partnering with lending agencies who display excellence in service in order to help students and parents choose the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) lender most likely to meet their individual needs, both current as well as throughout the life of the loan.

Our office adheres to the following principles:

  • No staff member shall accept any gift from a representative of a student loan provider. The Department of Education has defined “gift” as:
    • “Any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan or other item valued at more than a de minimus amount.
    • The term includes services, transportation, lodging, or meals, whether provided in kind, by purchase of a ticket, payment in advance, or by reimbursement.”
  • Staff will not participate in meals or refreshments from lenders.
  • Staff will not accept unsolicited marketing materials (such as pens, pads and markers) from lenders.
  • Office visits by representatives of major lenders are normally limited to twice a semester.
  • Staff members shall not accept any remuneration or expense-reimbursement for serving as a member of a lender’s advisory board. Staff may participate on advisory boards that are unrelated in any way to higher education loans.
  • No staff member shall accept any fee, payment, or other financial benefit as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or contact to provide services from a representative of a student loan provider.
  • No staff member shall request or accept any offer of funds for private loans including funds for an opportunity pool loan from a representative of a student loan provider. The Department of Education has defined “opportunity pool loan” as:
    • “A private education loan made by a lender to a student (or the student’s family) that involves a payment by the institution to the lender for extending credit to the student.”
  • Lender account representatives are not permitted to work within the Office of Financial Aid or to pass themselves off as employees of the University.
  • Staff who fail to follow these guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action.

To identify lenders that provide excellent customer service and benefits to our borrowers, more than 20 lenders were invited to provide information regarding their benefits and services via a Request for Information (RFI). All lenders were given the same amount of time to present information regarding their company and borrower benefits.

Based on an assessment of the information provided, Nicholls State University’s 2009-2010 Preferred Lender List has been determined. Although we have a Preferred Lender List, we encourage our students and parents to visit the lender’s web site prior to selecting a lender as borrower benefits vary and can change at any time. We do not have any agreements with the lenders listed on our Preferred Lender List nor have we received any incentives in exchange for listing them on our preferred list. No one is required to use a lender on our Preferred Lender List. Our office will process a loan from any lending institution that a student or parent chooses to use.