Estimating Your Student Loan Eligibility

You can estimate the type and amount of loan you will be eligible to receive using your cost of attendance calculation and the information described below.

Cost of Attendance: The cost of attendance is listed on the examples below. Your tuition will vary, based on the number of credit hours you will be taking during each term. Multiply the number of credits times the tuition cost per credit hour to calculate your total tuition.

Other Awards: According to federal regulations, other awards you receive to fund your education must be taken into account when determining your eligibility for student loans. This includes graduate assistantships, scholarships, traineeships, VESID, employer (or spouse’s employer) remitted tuition, fellowships, any fee waivers that cover costs included in the cost of attendance (health fee), and/or a stipend. You do not have to include wages that are part of an assistantship. However, if you receive a stipend that has no employment obligation, this must be included as financial assistance.

Loan Types:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan: On the examples provided, you will see the maximum Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is up to $20,500 per academic year. You may not borrow more than the difference between the cost of attendance minus your other awards.

• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan: On the examples provided, you will see that the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan can be requested through the Department of Education (credit check required) in the amount of the cost of attendance minus other awards and unsubsidized loans.