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Loan Amounts

Loan Amounts

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All About Direct Loans

Loan Amounts


Limit per Academic Year

The maximum amount you may borrow each academic year depends on

your year in school

the length of your academic program

whether you're a dependent student or an independent student

The following chart shows the maximum annual and total amounts you may borrow.

Maximum Annual Loan Amounts
BORROWER'S ACADEMIC LEVEL DEPENDENT STUDENT* INDEPENDENT STUDENT
Subsidized & Unsubsidized Subsidized Unsubsidized Total Amount
1st year undergraduate full academic year $2,625 $2,625 $4,000 $6,625
2/3 to less than full academic year $1,750 $1,750 $2,500 $4,250
1/3 to less than 2/3 academic year $875 $875 $1,500 $2,375
2nd year undergraduate full academic year $3,500 $3,500 $4,000 $7,500
2/3 to less than full academic year prorated prorated $2,500 prorated
1/3 to less than 2/3 academic year prorated prorated $1,500 prorated
Subsequent years undergraduate full academic year $5,500 $5,500 $5,000 $10,500
less than full academic year prorated prorated prorated prorated
Graduate or professional student N/A $8,500 $10,000 $18,500


*For dependent students whose parents cannot borrow under the Federal Direct PLUS Loan Program, the amount of unsubsidized loans a student can borrow is the same as for an independent student.

The amount you may borrow each academic year is also limited by

your school costs

the amount of other financial aid you'll receive

(in the case of Direct Subsidized Loans) the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC - the amount you and your family are expected to pay from your own resources - is used in determining your financial need. Your financial need is used to decide the amount of your Direct Subsidized Loans. Your school can explain how your EFC is calculated. If one of your parents gets a Direct PLUS Loan for you, the amount he or she may borrow is limited only by the cost of attendance at your school minus any other financial aid you receive. If your parents can't borrow a Direct PLUS Loan for you because they have an adverse credit history, and if you're a dependent undergraduate, you may be eligible to borrow additional amounts in the form of Direct Unsubsidized Loans. For more information, contact your financial aid office.

All Direct Loans except Direct Consolidation Loans have a loan origination fee of 4 percent, deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement. This money goes to the federal government to help reduce the cost of supporting these low-interest loans.

Even if you've borrowed from both the FFEL and Direct Loan programs, your annual and total loan limits cannot exceed the limits given in the above chart. Note that you may not receive both FFELs and Direct Loans for the same loan period.

Total Limits


The overall limit for any subsidized loans you may receive (including a combination of Direct Subsidized Loans and subsidized Federal Stafford Loans) is

$23,000 for undergraduate study

$65,500 for graduate study, including loans for undergraduate study The overall limit for subsidized and unsubsidized loans (including a combination of Direct Loans and Federal Stafford Loans) is

$23,000 for a dependent undergraduate student

$46,000 for an independent undergraduate student (and certain dependent students)

$138,500 for a graduate or professional student (including loans for undergraduate study)

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Types of Direct Loans [Table of Contents] Interest Rates

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