How much can you borrow in federal loans?

Your details

What will you study?

Professional means degrees like law (J.D.), medicine (M.D., D.O.), dentistry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine.

Which year of college?

Year in school, based on credits completed, not calendar years.

Dependent or independent?

Most students under 24 are dependent. The FAFSA decides this from a few questions.

Full-time or part-time?

From July 1, 2026, part-time students get a proportionally smaller annual limit.

Compare with a college (optional)

Uses the college's verified average net price.

Popular:

Estimate from the 2026–27 federal rules

Most you can borrow in 2026–27

$5,500

in federal Direct Loans this year, up to $3,500 of it subsidized.

Monthly payment if you borrow the $31,000 total

How this year's limit splits

Subsidized
up to $3,500
Need-based. No interest while you are in school.
Unsubsidized
up to $2,000
Interest builds from the first payout.

A parent can also borrow up to $20,000 a year in Parent PLUS Loans (their loan, with a credit check). It is not reduced for part-time enrollment.

Subsidized Loans also need demonstrated financial need; your college sets the exact split.

This year against your total limits

Total for undergraduate study

$5,500 of $31,000

Across all undergraduate years ($23,000 of it subsidized at most).

Lifetime cap, all levels

$5,500 of $257,500

Every federal loan you borrow as a student, even after some is repaid. Parent PLUS loans do not count.

What this means for you

  • This is a ceiling, not an offer. Your college can lend only up to its cost of attendance minus your other aid, and may set lower limits for some programs.
  • 2026–27 loans carry a fixed 6.52% rate (undergraduate direct subsidized and unsubsidized).
  • If a parent applies for Parent PLUS and is turned down, you can borrow at the higher independent-student limits.
  • to see how much of its average net price these loans would cover.

Read more: Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Parent PLUS loans.

Next steps

Payments if you borrow the total limit Can I afford this college?

What changed on July 1, 2026

Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Undergraduate annual and total limits did not change.

  • Grad PLUS ends for new borrowersGraduate and professional students without the interim exception can no longer take Grad PLUS loans.
  • Graduate cap: $20,500 a year, $100,000 totalCounts only Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans borrowed as a graduate student.
  • Professional cap: $50,000 a year, $200,000 totalFor degrees such as law (J.D.), medicine (M.D., D.O.), pharmacy, dentistry and veterinary medicine.
  • Parent PLUS: $20,000 a year, $65,000 per studentPreviously up to the cost of attendance minus other aid, with no total cap.
  • Lifetime cap: $257,500All federal loans a student borrows (not Parent PLUS), even after some are repaid.
  • Part-time borrowing is reducedAnnual Direct Loan limits shrink in proportion to how far below full-time a student enrolls. Parent PLUS is not reduced.

CollegesRef federal student loan limits tool · Source: U.S. Department of Education Direct Loan limits