• A question is posted to your Financial Aid Dashboard in FlashLine where you can let us know if you plan to enroll in summer at least half-time (6 hours undergrad and 4 hours graduate student) and would like to receive a portion of your Federal Direct Loan in summer.
  • Students who are enrolled in summer will receive an email directing them to the Financial Aid Dashboard to submit the summer loan request. 
• New for Summer 2026: Regulations will go into effect for Direct Student Loans for less than-full-time under the OBBBA. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA/OB3), Direct Loans for the 2026-27 academic year, a student's annual loan limit must be adjusted for less-than-full-time enrollment (also known as proration).
  • This requirement applies to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional student Direct Loan borrowers—Direct Subsidized Loans (sub), Direct Unsubsidized Loans (unsub), and graduate PLUS Loans (for legacy borrowers). Parent PLUS Loans are not subject to these adjustments.
  • Loans for Summer 2026 will not be offered until final regulatory guidance is provided as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Negotiated Rule Making.
• All Direct Loans are subject to a Loan Origination Fee deducted by the Department of Education (1.057% of loan amount until October 1, 2026).
• If you have applied for graduation in August or December, your Federal Direct Loan will be prorated based on your enrolled credit hours and remaining terms of enrollment. Until guidance is provided from the U.S. Department of Education, the amount of loan eligibility available is still in question due to the final regulations under the OBBBA and coordination with the previous rules for proration. 
• Those who wish to borrow a Parent PLUS or Graduate PLUS loan for Summer, must apply at StudentAid by selecting the appropriate loan period (designated in the chart below). Summer applications will be available May 1, 2026. Prior to requesting an amount in a Direct PLUS Loan, you should factor in the Department of Education’s Direct Loan Origination fee (4.228% for PLUS).
  • Parent PLUS: Student must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours. The parent borrower must apply online at StudentAid.gov. Parent PLUS loans are not subject to proration for less than half-time students, however new Parent PLUS borrowers will be limited to $20,000 per academic year, including summer borrowing. 
  • Graduate PLUS loan (Previous Graduate Students only): Student applicant must be admitted as a graduate student and be enrolled in at least 4 graduate credit hours. The graduate student borrower must apply online at StudentAid.gov. The Student Financial Aid Office will evaluate your eligibility for the Graduate PLUS loan only after you have exhausted all your Federal Direct Loan (Unsubsidized) eligibility. Grad PLUS loans are subject to loan proration for less than full-time enrollment per the requirements of the OBBBA. NOTE: New Graduate student Direct Loan borrowers or graduate students in new academic programs are no longer eligible for Grad PLUS due to the changes in OBBBA. 
  • Private Loans: Prior to applying for a private loan, students should consider Federal Direct loan options first. To apply for a private loan, you must contact your lender for information and application process. Compare private loan lenders and see student and parent options for borrowing.
• Due to the changes in the OBBBA, students may no longer borrow uneven disbursements of loan eligibility for a single term.

Loan Periods for the Academic Year (for PLUS and Private loan applications)