Federal Direct Graduate Unsubsidized Loan
Federal Direct Graduate Unsubsidized Loan
Federal Direct Graduate Unsubsidized Loan
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduces significant changes to the federal Title IV student aid programs. Some of these changes impact Federal Direct Graduate Unsubsidized Loans. These updates will take effect on July 1, 2026.
Notice of Regulatory Implementation: The Office of Student Financial Aid Services is actively monitoring the legislation and its implementation details. This page will be updated regularly as additional guidance becomes available from the U.S. Department of Education.
- Annual Limit: $20,500
- Aggregate Limit: $138,500 (includes undergraduate borrowed loans)
- Loan Reduction: Graduate Unsubsidized loans are not reduced based on enrollment. The minimum enrollment requirement is half-time.
- Graduate Students:
- Annual Limit: $20,500
- Aggregate Limit: $100,000 (excludes undergraduate loans)
- Loans must be reduced when students are not enrolled full-time. The reduction is based on the enrollment status. Full-time enrollment for graduate students is 9 credits/term. For details, see Less Than Full-Time Loan Reductions
- Professional Students:
- NJIT does not have professional degree programs
- Annual Limit: $50,000
- Aggregate Limit: $200,000 (combined graduate and professional loans but excludes undergraduate loans)
- Total Aggregate Limit: $257,500 for all federal loan programs (undergraduate and graduate)
Students requiring additional financing options should review the following supplemental funding options:
- Private Education Loans
Apply for a private loan - Payment Plans
Sign up for a payment plan
NJIT does not have a “professional” degree program.
Under 34 CFR 685.102(b), the following are considered professional programs:
- Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
- Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)
- Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)
- Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)
- Law (L.L.B. or J.D.)
- Medicine (M.D.)
- Optometry (O.D.)
- Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
- Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.)
- Theology (M.Div. or M.H.L.)
- Clinical Psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)
No, the statute and federal regulations set the standards for defining a “professional” program. Unfortunately, there is no appeal process.
Beginning July 1, 2026, Federal Direct Loan amounts will be reduced for students enrolled less than full-time. Fulltime enrollment is generally defined as 9 credits/semester for graduate students. If you take fewer than 18 credits for the academic year, your Federal Direct Loan amounts will be reduced proportionally to the actual credit load.
Notice of Regulatory Implementation: The Office of Student Financial Aid Services is awaiting guidance on legacy status. This page will be updated regularly as new information becomes available from the U.S. Department of Education.
Graduate degree programs generally have a 2-year (30 credits) published program length. We will use this maximum time as the time allowed to complete the degree.
Expected Time to Credential
Under 34 CFR 685.102(b), the expected time to credential (ETTC) is defined as: "From July 1, 2026, the expected time for a student to complete a program that is equal to or the lesser of—
- Three academic years, as defined in 34 CFR 668.3; or
- The period determined by calculating the difference between—
- The program length for the program of study in which the individual is enrolled; and
- The period of such program of study that such individual has completed as of the date of the determination under paragraph (ii) of this definition."
How is Expected Time to Credential calculated?
Based on current guidance (August 12, 2026) from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), we calculate expected time to credential (ETTC) based upon:
- The number of credits required to complete your current program of study
- The number of credits you completed for your program as of June 30, 2026, and
- NJIT's definition of full-time enrollment for an academic year
Results are rounded up to the next 0.5 year. Please see an example below:
Example: Two-Year Master's Program Requiring 30 Credits
Student completed 12 credits in 2025-2026. The student must earn an additional 18 credits to complete the program. The ETTC is 18 divided by 18 (the number of credits a full-time graduate student is expected to complete over the fall/spring academic year) or 1 year or maximun 2 semesters.