$138,500 for graduate or professional students-No more than $65,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. The graduate aggregate limit includes all federal loans received for undergraduate study.
Maximum number of eligible credit hours for federal aid
In addition to having a minimum number of hours per semester, federal student aid mandates a maximum total number of hours for which students are eligible for aid. Students may only receive federal aid for up to 180 hours in a program.
Unlike other federal direct student loans, there's no borrowing limit—it's up to your grad school's cost of attendance. The interest rate for a Grad PLUS Loan is higher than for a direct unsubsidized loan.
Among our partner lenders, you'll need a credit score of at least 670 to qualify for a private student loan, although some lenders don't disclose their minimum credit score requirements. However, the higher your score, the better. Most lenders will give you better rates and terms if your score is at least 700.
The best personal loans for a 700 credit score are from LightStream because they offer $5,000 - $100,000 with APRs of 7.49% - 25.99% and repayment periods of 24 - 84 months.
With $50,000 in student loan debt, your monthly payments could be quite expensive. Depending on how much debt you have and your interest rate, your payments will likely be about $500 per month or more. Your potential savings from refinancing will vary based on your loan terms.
There are no fixed annual or aggregate loan limits for Direct PLUS Loans. The maximum Direct PLUS Loan amount that a graduate/professional student or parent can borrow is the cost of attendance minus other financial aid received. See the annual and aggregate limits for subsidized and unsubsidized loans.
Interest, Fees & Lender
Because Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans have lower origination fees and interest rates than Grad PLUS, it is recommended to accept all Unsubsidized Loan eligibility prior to determining if you wish to accept Grad PLUS Loans.
The maximum Federal Pell Grant award is $7,395 for the 2024–25 award year (July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025). your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.
Most students are more concerned with getting to that magic number, but what happens if you go over? If a student takes more than 120 credit hours, they incur an Excess Credit Hours Surcharge, depending on how many extra hours they have taken and barring certain exceptions.
Graduate students are considered independent and have a lifetime loan limit of $138,500 for federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. No more than $65,500 of this amount can be in subsidized loans. Annual limits for Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate students are set at $20,500.
If your grade level changes in the middle of the academic year, you may qualify for higher annual loan limits. You would then be eligible to borrow the difference between the new annual loan limit and the amount you already borrowed during the same academic year. Similar rules apply to transfer students.
Independent undergraduates and dependent students whose parents are unable to obtain PLUS Loans: $57,500 (including up to $23,000 subsidized). Graduate and professional students: $138,500 (or $224,000 for certain medical training) including undergraduate borrowing (including up to $65,500 subsidized).
What is the LLC worth? The amount of the credit is 20 percent of the first $10,000 of qualified education expenses or a maximum of $2,000 per return. The LLC is not refundable. So, you can use the credit to pay any tax you owe but you won't receive any of the credit back as a refund.
Students who already have a bachelor's degree may still be eligible for some forms of financial aid: Federal education loans, such as the Federal Stafford loan and Federal PLUS loan, subject to remaining annual and aggregate loan limits. Federal Work-Study.
Borrowing limits
Unlike other types of federal student loans, grad PLUS loans don't have a specific limit on how much you can borrow per year, nor do they have an aggregate limit. Instead, you might be able to borrow up to your school's certified cost of attendance, minus other financial aid you've received.
The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant award you can receive each award year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.
Graduate students can borrow as much as $20,500 per year in federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with a lifetime limit of $138,500, including undergraduate loans.
Overall, only 1% of all U.S. adults owed at least $100,000. Young college graduates with student loans are more likely than those without this kind of debt to say they struggle financially.
Your interest charges will be added to the amount you owe, causing your loan to grow over time. This can occur if you are in a deferment for an unsubsidized loan or if you have an income-based repayment (IBR) plan and your payments are not large enough to cover the monthly accruing interest.