Graduate and Professional Student Loans

Under the William D. Ford Federal Loan (Direct Loan) Program, the U.S. Department of Education offers the Direct Unsubsidized Loan two types of loans to eligible Graduate and Professional, degree-seeking students.

• There is no requirement to demonstrate financial need. You are responsible for paying the interest that accrues on a Direct Unsubsidized Loan during all periods when your loan repayment begins.

Starting July 1, 2026, the Graduate PLUS loan program will no longer be available to Graduate or Professional students, unless students qualify for Limited Exception (Legacy) Provisions. 

• Graduate and Professional students who qualify for the Limited Exception may continue to borrow the Graduate PLUS Loan for a limited amount of time. The Graduate PLUS loan is a credit-based loan and approval is dependent on a student’s credit history. The limited exception is applicable for up to three years or up to the remaining time left in your program, whichever is less. Additional conditions may apply, learn more on our Federal Student Aid Updates webpage. 

In addition to the general eligibility requirements to receive TIV Federal Student Aid, the requirements for you to receive a Federal Direct Loan include: 

• Be enrolled at least half-time. Normally, 5 units of graduate level coursework is considered half-time.
• Be a degree-seeking Graduate or Professional student.

Beginning July 1, 2026, a student’s maximum academic year borrowing eligibility for Direct Loans will be reduced if you are not enrolled full-time.

• Full-time enrollment for graduate students is 9 units.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) will recalculate a student’s maximum borrowing eligibility before any Direct Loans are initially released to a Bursar student account. In addition, loan eligibility will be recalculated if the student’s enrollment changes during the semester.

Learn more about general eligibility requirements on Federal Student Aid.

Visit our Accept Your Loans page for detailed instructions.

Interest rates are set each year and are fixed for the lifetime of the loan. Generally, interest rates for Federal Direct Loans are lower than private student loans. Find current interest rates on Federal Student Aid.

Loan fees are charged when the loan is disbursed, or released, to your student Bursar account. This means the total amount you receive will be slightly less than what you accept. Find current loan fee information on Federal Student Aid.

Your school determines the loan type(s), if any, and the actual loan amount you are eligible to receive each academic year (i.e., at the University of Arizona an academic year consists of the Fall, Spring and Summer terms). 

Annual and Aggregate Loan Limits

There are limits to how much you may be eligible to receive per academic year and over the course of your lifetime, which are referred to as your annual, aggregate and lifetime loan limits. 

Learn more Annual and Aggregate Loan Limits

Loan Reductions for Students Enrolled Less than Full-Time

Effective Fall 2026, the amount in student loans that can be borrowed for each academic year will be reduced for students enrolled less than full-time. 

Full-time enrollment is defined as:  

• Graduate and Professional students: 9 + units

Students must be enrolled at least half-time (5 units for graduate and professional students) to be eligible to receive federal loans. 

Before you take out a loan, it’s important to understand that a loan is a legal obligation that you will be responsible for repaying with interest. You may not have to begin repaying your federal student loans right away, but you don’t have to wait to understand your responsibilities as a borrower. 

Watch this video from Federal Student Aid to learn more about responsible borrowing.

Before you borrow or enter repayment, you can use the Department of Education's Repayment Estimator to get an early look at which repayment plans you may be eligible for and see estimates for how much you would pay monthly and overall.

Requesting Additional Federal Direct Loan Funds

To request that additional Direct Loan funds be offered, please complete the Loan/Federal Work Study Adjustment Request Form

Requesting an Adjustment to or Cancellation of Your Federal Direct Loan(s)

If you have already accepted your Federal Direct Loan(s), but would like to adjust or cancel the amount you accepted, you can submit a request by completing the Loan/Federal Work Study Adjustment Request Form or contact a member of our Ask Aid team. 

If the funds have already been disbursed to your Bursar billing account, you will be required to return the disbursed funds before the loan can be canceled. Any account balance created as a result of the reduction or cancelation of a disbursed loan must be repaid immediately.

Your consent is not required if the University of Arizona must cancel or reduce your loans to remain in compliance with Federal regulations. Regardless of the type of cancellation, any account balance created as a result of the reduction or cancellation of a disbursed loan must be repaid by the student immediately.

OSFA will begin offering Graduate students with Federal Direct Loans in mid July. Review instructions for how to apply for aid here.