Loans for Graduate Students
To learn more about each type of loan, inluding the application process, click on the name of the loan in red.( Average cumulative debt is reported below.)
| Program | Description | Eligibility | Maximum amounts and interest rates for loans disbursed after 7/1/08 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan | Federal Loan, the lender is the federal government. Interest does not accrue as long as student is enrolled at least half-time. | Offered to graduate students with financial need | $8,500 Interest rate is 6.8% during repayment. |
| Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan | Federal Loan, the lender is the federal government. Interest accrues as soon as the loan is disbursed. | Offered to graduate students with or without financial need | $20,500 less any subsidized loan Interest rate is 6.8% |
| Federal unsubsidized loan. The federal government is the lender. | Offered to graduate students with or without financial need. | Interest rate is 7.9% up to cost of attendance less other awards | |
|
(subsidized) |
Federal loan administered by the University | Offered to graduate students with exceptional need as funding permits . | $4,500 (2008-09 amount) |
| Emergency Loans | Short-term loan offered by the Financial Aid Office | Registered students without blocks or a prior unpaid emergency loan | $775 |
| Health Professional Student Loan (HPSL) | Subsidized loan | Health Professions student with financial need. | $5,000 Interest rate is 5% |
| Private Loans | Loans from private lenders | Graduate students | Varies by lender |
In 2006-07, the average cumulative loan debt for graduate students was:
Academic/Other: $$27,146
Business: $56,076
Law: $75,041
Optometry: $102,286
Public Health: $27,745
Public Policy: $29,772