É«ÖÐÉ«

Federal Direct Loans

Federal Direct Loans are available to all eligible graduate and professional students who complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We will offer an eligible student the amount of Federal Direct Loan that they are eligible for when we prepare their Financial Aid Award. You may be directed to accept or decline your loan eligibility on the Financial Aid Portal.

Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans Only

All graduate and professional students awarded Federal Direct Loans will find that they are only eligible for Unsubsidized Loan, regardless of financial need. An Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan will accrue interest beginning at disbursement. Interest may be paid or deferred until the loan goes into repayment.

Rates & Fees

For 2024-2025:

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate and professional students have an estimated (will be final after June 1, 2024) fixed interest rate of 6.09% for loans disbursed July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. This loan also has an up-front fee, referred to as an origination fee. The origination fee for loans disbursed on or after October 1, 2024 and before October 1, 2025 is 1.057%.

For 2023-2024:

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate and professional students have a fixed interest rate of 5.50% for loans disbursed July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. This loan also has an up-front fee, referred to as an origination fee. The origination fee for loans disbursed on or after October 1, 20213and before October 1, 2024 is 1.057%.

Loan Limits

Base Amount

All graduate and professional students are considered independent and therefore are eligible for $20,500 Direct Unsubsidized Loan annually. The student needs to be registered at least half-time (6 credits or more) to be eligible. Graduate students may borrow a maximum of $138,500. For more information, visit

Accepting Your Federal Direct Loans

For First Time Loan Borrowers at É«ÖÐÉ«

First time borrowers at É«ÖÐÉ« must complete Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note (MPN) at . You will need to know your student FSA ID to log into this site.

To complete your Entrance Counseling:

• Log in with your student FSA ID
• Hover over "Complete Aid Process"
• Select

To complete your MPN:

• Stay signed in to 
• Hover over "Complete Aid Process" 
• Select  under "Complete a Master Promissory Note"
• Select the first option,

Note: Transfer students who have borrowed through the Direct Loan program at their previous institution do not need to complete the MPN or Entrance Counseling.

Miscellaneous Information

1. In response to the COVID-19 emergency relief period, the interest rate on all Direct Loans has been temporarily set at 0% until at least September 30, 2021. Once the COVID-19 emergency relief period ends, the rates as described in this announcement will be in effect for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2021.
2. The standard 10-year repayment period begins 6 months after graduation or the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. Operations for income based and more flexible payment plans are also available at .
3. For students who are new borrowers on or after July 1, 2013, the period during which students may borrow Direct Subsidized Loans and the period during which the in-school interest subsidy may be provided, will be limited to 150% of the published length of their educational program.
4. Any student is able to view their loan history by logging on to .
5. Students are not required to borrow Federal Direct Loans, or required to borrow the maximum amount of loan offered. If you wish to decline or reduce your Federal Direct Loan eligibility, please complete a Loan Adjustment Form found on the Financial Aid Forms page of our website.