Maximum Student Loan Limit
The cheapest or least expensive educational loans are federally backed student loans.
Sometimes these loans are referred to as Federal Student Loan, Federal Stafford Loan, or it may be listed as Student Loan on the Financial Aid Award Offer Letter.
| Year | Dependent Students (except students whose parents are unable to obtain PLUS Loans) | Independent Students (and dependent undergraduate students whose parents are unable to obtain PLUS Loans) |
| First-Year Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit | $5,500—No more than $3,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. | $9,500—No more than $3,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. |
| Second-Year Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit | $6,500—No more than $4,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. | $10,500—No more than $4,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. |
| Third-Year and Beyond Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit | $7,500—No more than $5,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. | $12,500—No more than $5,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. |
| Graduate or Professional Students Annual Loan Limit | Not Applicable (all graduate and professional students are considered independent) | $20,500 (unsubsidized only) |
| Subsidized and Unsubsidized Aggregate Loan Limit | $31,000—No more than $23,000 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. | $57,500 for undergraduates—No more than $23,000 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. ______________________________________ $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. |
The U.S. Department of Education’s federal student loan program is the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. Under this program, the U.S. Department of Education is your lender. There are four types of Direct Loans available:
Direct Subsidized Loans are loans made to eligible undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need to help cover the costs of higher education at a college or career school. Check the above table for loan limits.
Direct Unsubsidized Loans are loans made to eligible undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, but eligibility is not based on financial need. Check the above table for loan limits.
Direct PLUS Loans are loans made to graduate or professional students and parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. Eligibility is not based on financial need, but a credit check is required. Borrowers who have an adverse credit history must meet additional requirements to qualify. Check the above table for loan limits.
Direct Consolidation Loans allow you to combine all of your eligible federal student loans into a single loan with a single loan servicer. Click here for information on these loans
Go to this site for more information, to complete Loan Counseling and to find out how much you have taken out in student loans. Log in with your FSA Federal Student Aid ID and password. Click here for more information on this topic
