Federal Direct Education Loan Program

The Family Federal Education Loan Programs enable students to borrow from the U.S. Department of Education, through private lenders. Students may apply for the Subsidized Stafford or the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan Programs.

The maximum a student may borrow as an undergraduate under the Federal Subsidized Stafford is $3,500 for the freshman year, $4,500 for the sophomore year, and $5,500 per academic year for the junior and senior years. The total subsidized amount that a student may borrow for undergraduate study is $23,000. The interest rate is determined annually. The maximum a graduate student may borrow is $8,500 per academic year. The total a graduate student may borrow for both undergraduate and graduate study is $65,500.

The maximum a student may borrow under the Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Program is $6,000 per academic year for the freshman and sophomore years and $7,000 per academic year for the junior and senior years. The total amount a graduate student is eligible to borrow is $12,000 per academic year. The total undergraduate Federal unsubsidized Stafford loan limit is $23,000 and $73,000 at the graduate level, including undergraduate amounts. The interest rate on these loans varies.