Student Loans About two minutes No email required July 2026 federal limits

Will federal loans cover grad school? Grad Loan Gap Check

Grad PLUS is gone for new borrowers. See how much of your master's or professional program federal loans still cover, year by year, and the gap left.

Grad Loan Gap Check · July 2026 limits

Will federal loans cover your graduate program?

Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers on July 1, 2026. New graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total. See what that covers of your program and the gap left to fill.

$20,500a year, graduate
$50,000a year, professional
$257,500lifetime, all federal student loans

About two minutes · No name, email or phone · Federal limits, every one sourced

Grad Loan Gap CheckQuestion 1 of 8

What kind of program is it?

Why we ask: Professional programs have higher federal loan limits than other graduate programs.

Review the methodology behind this result

Results are shown before email capture or partner handoff. The estimate uses source-backed rules and public data so you can evaluate the result before taking the next step.

Full calculator methodology See formula sources, assumptions, limitations, and update cadence. Editorial standards Review how we source, fact-check, and disclose partner relationships.

Until July 1, 2026, a graduate student could borrow the full cost of a program from the federal government: Direct Unsubsidized Loans first, then Grad PLUS for the rest.

Grad PLUS is now closed to new borrowers, and the federal loans that remain have firm limits. Source · StudentAid.gov, OBBBA definitions

The calculator above takes your program’s yearly cost, the aid you expect and what you already borrowed, and splits the cost into what federal loans still cover and the gap you’d fill another way.

$20,500

Yearly limit, graduate

$100,000 in total

$50,000

Yearly limit, professional

$200,000 in total

$257,500

Lifetime limit

Every federal student loan, parent PLUS excluded

Three limits decide what federal loans cover

Each year you can borrow up to the yearly limit, until you reach either the total for your kind of program or the lifetime limit. Whichever you reach first stops the loans. Source · StudentAid.gov, Big Updates

Federal loan limits for students borrowing from July 1, 2026

Limit	Graduate	Professional
Each year	$20,500	$50,000
Total for the program type	$100,000	$200,000
Lifetime, all federal student loans	$257,500	$257,500

Limit Each year

Graduate $20,500

Professional $50,000

Limit Total for the program type

Graduate $100,000

Professional $200,000

Limit Lifetime, all federal student loans

Graduate $257,500

Professional $257,500

The lifetime limit counts the federal loans you took in college too, even ones you already paid off. A student who borrowed $40,000 as an undergraduate has $217,500 of lifetime room left before graduate school starts.

Professional programs are degrees like medicine and law. Since a June 24, 2026 court order, the Department also treats MSN and DNP nursing programs as professional, for now. Source · FSA, GENERAL-26-42

Our guide to nursing master’s loan limits explains what could change.

Part-time study cuts the yearly limit

From July 1, 2026, a student enrolled less than full time gets a yearly limit reduced in proportion to their load. At half time, the $20,500 graduate limit becomes $10,250. Source · FSA, less-than-full-time FAQ

The program also takes longer, so the total limit matters less and the yearly one more.

Already enrolled? The old limits may still apply

Students who were enrolled in a program on June 30, 2026, with a federal loan for it before July 1, may keep the old limits: a $138,500 total that includes undergraduate loans, and Grad PLUS.

The exception lasts the lesser of three academic years or the rest of the program, and ends early if you leave the program, the school or the credential. Source · StudentAid.gov, loan limits exception

Four ways to fill a gap

A program priced near the yearly limit leaves the smallest gap. Our list of online master’s degrees under $20,500 a year shows real prices that fit.

Employers can pay up to $5,250 a year tax-free, and some pay more or name partner schools. Schools fund assistantships and fellowships and offer payment plans.

Private loans come last: compare their rate and terms with the federal 8.07% before you sign.

For the full picture of graduate borrowing, read how much you can borrow for a master’s in 2026.

Check whether your employer pays toward the degree

Find your employer's tuition plan, what it pays a year and the schools it names.

Check my employer