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Grad Loan GapKnow your gap. Fill it. Gap calculator

Tool

Funding Gap Calculator

Since July 1, 2026, Grad PLUS is closed to new borrowers and federal loans stop at a fixed limit each year. Enter your program and costs below to see how much federal Direct Unsubsidized loans will cover and how large your gap is, year by year.

Figures are estimates for planning. Check your school’s cost of attendance page and your award letter for exact numbers.

Prefilled with an illustrative average. Use your school's published budget.

Estimated funding gap

$105,000

Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans cover $150,000 of $255,000. You need to fill $105,000 over 3 years.

  • Federal loans
  • Scholarships and grants
  • Gap
Federal loans
$150,000
Scholarships and grants
$0
Gap to fill
$105,000
Total cost of attendance
$255,000

Listed as a professional degree on FSA's interim list.

Funding by academic year
Year Cost of attendance Scholarships Federal loans Gap
2026-27 $85,000 $0 $50,000 $35,000
2027-28 $85,000 $0 $50,000 $35,000
2028-29 $85,000 $0 $50,000 $35,000
Total $255,000 $0 $150,000 $105,000

Next steps

How this calculator works

  • For each year, federal borrowing is the lowest of three numbers: the annual limit for your program, your cost of attendance minus scholarships and grants, and what is left of the aggregate limit.
  • Graduate programs: $20,500 per year and $100,000 aggregate. Professional programs: $50,000 per year and $200,000 aggregate. Grad PLUS is not available to new borrowers from July 1, 2026.
  • The gap is whatever cost of attendance remains after scholarships, grants and federal loans. It is what you would cover with savings, school loans, family help or private loans.
  • Prefilled costs of attendance are illustrative averages, not figures for any specific school. Replace them with the budget your school publishes.
  • Legacy provision: students who received a federal loan for their program before July 1, 2026 may keep borrowing under the old rules, including Grad PLUS up to the cost of attendance, for up to three academic years or until the end of the program, whichever comes first. The calculator shows a $0 gap for those years, then applies the new limits.
  • Prior federal borrowing counts toward aggregate limits. The calculator assumes you start with no prior graduate borrowing; if you have some, your remaining aggregate limit may be lower.
  • Status for nursing programs is contested in court. For those programs the result notes how the gap would change if graduate limits applied.

This is an estimate for planning, not a loan offer or financial advice. Verify your limits on studentaid.gov and with your school's financial aid office. Federal Direct loans on studentaid.gov