Graduate Student Financial Aid

Tuition

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan

The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan is a federal student loan for which eligible students borrow directly from the U.S. Department of Education. The borrower is fully responsible for paying any interest that accrues, starting from the date of disbursement and continuing throughout the life of the loan. Repayment for this loan begins after graduation or when the student drops below half-time enrollment status.

Requirements for Unsubsidized Stafford Loan assistance:

• Students must complete the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• Students must be enrolled at least half time. (5 credit hours for graduate students)
• The maximum loan limits are $20,500 for Unsubsidized Stafford Loans per academic year.
• The fixed interest rate for Unsubsidized Stafford loans is 8.08% for the 2025-2026 academic year.
• The origination fee assessed on each loan is 1.057%. (This fee is deducted from the original offered amount and lowers the amount of each disbursement. The amounts reflected on your billing statement reflect the net amount received.)

Additional Information

• Interest rates are updated each year on July 1. Please visit the Federal Student Aid Interest website for the most current information.
• Lifetime limits for the Stafford Loan program are $100,000 (effective July 1, 2026) 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 Stafford loans received for undergraduate study.
• Loans are split between the terms that the student is expected to enroll and disbursed at the start of each.
• If the interest is capitalized (allowed to accumulate) it will be added to the principal amount of the loan and will increase the amount the borrower will have to repay.

If the choice is made to pay the interest as it accumulates, the total interest charges paid during repayment will be considerably less. Payments should be made directly to your federal loan servicer. Servicer information can be accessed online at https://studentaid.gov/ by logging in with your student FSA ID information.

Effective July 1, 2026 the Graduate PLUS Loan Program is no longer available based on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed on July 4, 2025.

Private Student Loans: Please ensure you have reviewed all federal loan options prior to applying for a private student loan. Private student loans (also known as alternative loans) are loans you borrow from a private bank or lender, not the federal government. Unlike the Federal Direct Stafford Loan, you don’t need to complete a FAFSA to apply. However, private lenders will vary in their interest rates, loan terms, and eligibility requirements. Carefully research each lender and the loans they offer to figure out which one is best for you. Guilford College has compiled a list of lenders for you to review at ELMSelect.