Loan Amounts
Get the money you need for school-up to $20,500 a year for graduate school.
How much you can borrow in Stafford student loans depends on whether you’re an undergraduate or a graduate student.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Eligible undergraduates qualify for different Stafford loan amounts, depending on your year in school and whether you’re classified as a dependent or independent undergraduate student.
A dependent undergraduate student is:
- Under 24
- Single, with no dependents
- Not a ward of the court, a military veteran, or in the military
Dependent undergraduates taking out a Federal Stafford Loan can borrow
- Up to $3,500 their first year of school
- Up to $4,500 their second year
- Up to $5,500 each year after that
up to a maximum of $23,000 in cumulative Stafford loan debt over your college career.
Independent undergraduates taking out a Federal Stafford Loan can borrow
- Up to $7,500 their first year (max $3,500 in subsidized Stafford loans)
- Up to $8,500 their second year (max $4,500 in subsidized Stafford loans)
- Up to $10,500 each year after that (max $5,500 in subsidized Stafford loans)
up to a maximum of $46,000 in total Stafford loan debt (of which no more than $23,000 can be subsidized Stafford loans).
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Graduate students taking out a Federal Stafford Loan can borrow up to $20,500 a year (with a max of $8,500 in subsidized Stafford loans each year), up to a maximum of $138,500 in cumulative Stafford loan debt (of which no more than $65,500 can be subsidized), which includes any undergraduate Stafford loans you may have received.
How much do Stafford loans cost?
