Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans

Students may borrow up to the Cost of Attendance less any other financial aid each academic year.

There is no aggregate limit to borrowing.

The interest rates and are set by the Department of Education each academic year and are fixed for the life of the loan. 

For 2025-26, the current interest rate is:  8.94%

An origination fee is also deducted from the awarded amount before the loan is disbursed to the student account.  

For loans disbursed on or after 10/1/2019 and before 10/1/2020: 4.236% 

For loans disbursed on or after 10/1/2020 and before 10/1/2026: 4.228% 

To be eligible to apply for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, students must: 

• be a graduate or professional student enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school in a program leading to a graduate or professional degree or certificate;
• not have an adverse credit history (unless you meet certain additional eligibility requirements); and
• meet the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid. 

Students are encouraged to take advantage of their annual Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan eligibility before applying for a Graduate PLUS Loan because the terms and conditions are more favorable than those for the Graduate PLUS Loan. 

Before applying for a grad PLUS loan, please complete the FAFSA form. 

Students can then fill out and submit the online Graduate PLUS loan application. Once processed, the student will receive the results of the loan's credit check.  

• Unless students specifically instruct otherwise, Student Financial Services certifies loans to be evenly disbursed over the fall and spring semesters. Students who know they will have uneven costs should tell Student Financial Services so their loans can be awarded and disbursed to their student accounts accordingly. 

If approved, a first-time borrower will need to sign a Graduate PLUS Master Promissory Note. 

Student borrowers who are not approved due to adverse credit history, can pursue an endorser or a credit override by calling the Direct Loan Applicant Services Center at 1-800-557-7394. 

• PLUS Loan credit checks are only valid for 6 months.
• If you are applying for the Grad PLUS loan, please be aware that processing time can take 2-3 weeks.
• To ensure timely disbursement of funds, make sure that you are applying for the Grad PLUS early enough to account for the processing time. If you are emailing lawfa@seattleu.edu to request an adjustment (increase or decrease), make sure you include the processing time for your request.
• Students only need to apply once at the beginning of the academic year. Any following adjustment or additional loan requests can be made via email request to lawfa@seattleu.edu. 

Loan funds will automatically be disbursed to the student's Seattle University account at least 10 days before the first day of class each quarter as long as all the requirements are met including enrollment. 

Students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for federal loans, however, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, federal loans will be pro-rated for students enrolled less than full-time. 

Funds disbursed in excess of the tuition balance due will be processed as a Credit Balance Refund. 

Once disbursed, Graduate PLUS Loans are assigned to a loan servicer.  Loan servicers are responsible for answering loan account questions, processing deferments and forbearances, sending out bills and processing loan payments.  Students with more than one loan may have more than one loan servicer. 

Students can go to the Federal Student Aid website and log in to see which loan servicer(s) is responsible for their loan(s).  They can also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 for this information. 

Student borrowers are responsible for ensuring that their loan servicer(s) always has their current billing address and phone number.

Repayment begins 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed each year: automatic deferment may be available while enrolled at least half-time.

Exit Counseling is required for students who graduate, cease enrollment or drop below half-time. The purpose of exit counseling is to ensure students understand their loan obligations and repayment options. Students will learn about what federal student loan payments will look like after school and recommended repayment strategies that best suits future plans and goals. 

Seattle University School of Law will send an email to the SU email account for students who fall into these categories requesting they complete the exit counseling session online. 

Students who file for bankruptcy may still be required to pay back this loan.