William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Student Loans are provided by the United States government directly to students. All Federal Direct Loans are either subsidized (the government pays the interest while you're in school) or unsubsidized (you pay all the interest, although you can defer the payments until after graduation). To receive a Direct Subsidized Loan, you must be able to demonstrate financial need. With the Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you can defer the payments until after graduation by capitalizing the interest. This adds interest payments to the loan balance, increasing the size and cost of the loan. Repayment begins six months after the student graduates or drops below half-time enrollment. The standard repayment term is ten years, although one can access alternate repayment terms (extended, graduated and income-contingent repayment) by consolidating the loans.