The Federal Graduate PLUS Loan is a credit-based loan available to graduate or professional degree students that can be used to help pay for education expenses. For information regarding current interest rates and origination fees, visit Federal Student Aid. Students must be enrolled at least half-time (3 graduate credits) in a graduate degree program (master's or doctorate) to access a Graduate PLUS loan.
New Graduate PLUS Requirements
As of July 1, 2026, the Graduate PLUS Program will be limited to Legacy students for up to three years OR the end of their normal time to completion for their particular degree program. Students who begin a new graduate program in Fall 2026 will not be eligible.
In order be a Legacy student, the student must meet the following requirements.
- Must have been a graduate student prior to July 1, 2026.
- Must have started attending graduate classes prior to July 1, 2026.
- Must be continuously enrolled in the same graduate program. If you take a semester off, you will no longer be a Legacy student.
- Must have borrowed a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan OR a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan for the current graduate program prior to July 1, 2026.
- Loan must have been approved and disbursed prior to July 1, 2026.
- For new Summer 2026 students, we highly recommend that you do the following by June 15 to continue to be a Legacy student:
- Complete the 2025-26 FAFSA (must be listed as graduate student).
- Complete the Summer Direct Loan Request Form and or the Graduate PLUS Application.
- Complete the Graduate Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note.
Repayment: Repayment does not begin until 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed to the school (for a full-year loan, after the spring portion is disbursed to SRU). However, if you are a graduate or professional student, your loan will be placed into deferment while you are enrolled at least half-time and for an additional six months after you cease to be enrolled at least half-time. Additional information regarding repayment can be found here.
To apply for a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan a student must:
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the student.
- Once on the Student Loans website simply click on "Sign In" on the right side of the page.
- If you forgot or don't have a FSA ID, you can click here to request a duplicate or to create a new FSA ID.
- After signing in, click on "Request Direct PLUS Loan"
- Complete the required items; use "August 2025 through May 2026" for the loan term dates; then "submit" the PLUS request. Summer students should indicate "May 2026 to July 2026".
- Then, you must click on "Home" to return to the Student Loans homepage to continue to the next step of the PLUS Loan process, which is signing the Grad PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note.
- Click on the "My Account" button located in the top box, next to your name.
- Click on "Complete Master Promissory Note"
- Click on "Graduate PLUS"
- Complete the required items and then "Submit" the Master Promissory Note
If the Graduate PLUS Application has been APPROVED, the application will be forwarded to Slippery Rock University. Please allow approximately 1-2 weeks for a Graduate PLUS Loan to be processed. Graduate students are encouraged to file the application early to allow for the loan funds to arrive at the school.
If the Graduate PLUS Application has been DENIED and the student indicated he/she was going to appeal or seek an endorser, once the endorser/appeal has been approved, please forward the confirmation email with the student's name and student Rock ID to financial.aid@sru.edu.
Important loan disbursement information concerning enrollment and direct loans:
As per federal regulations, undergraduate students must be enrolled at least half-time (six credits for undergraduate students and three credits for graduate students) to be eligible for Federal Direct Loans.
The Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and Federal Direct PLUS Loans will not disburse to the Office of Student Accounts until the student actually begins attendance in a total of six credits. It is the attendance in the second 3 credit class that gives the student 6 credits which constitutes eligibility for federal financial aid.
Examples:
- If a student is enrolled in two eight week courses, 3 credits in the first 8 weeks and 3 credits in the second 8 weeks, the loan will not disburse until the second class begins.
- If a student is enrolled in a 3 credit course in Pre-session and a credit course in Summer Session II, the loan will not disburse until Summer Session II.
Therefore, students who will not begin attendance in a total of six credits until later in the semester will need to plan accordingly for the purchase of any books or materials for their classes. If a student drops a course and becomes less than half-time, the student will no longer be eligible for federal loans.
There are separate guidelines for disbursement of aid for other programs.
Borrower Requirements
Borrowers/students must notify the loan servicing agency when any of the following occur:
- Graduation
- Withdrawal from school
- Attendance is less than half-time enrollment (Undergraduates - Less than 6 credits/Graduates - Less than 3 graduate credits)
- Change of name or address
- Transfer to another school
- Other changes that may affect borrowers' eligibility for deferred payments
ENROLLMENT AND ELIGIBILITY NOTIFICATIONS
If a student or parent enters into an agreement regarding a Title IV Loan (ie. Federal Direct Loan), the student's enrollment and eligibility information will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and will be accessible by authorized agencies, lenders and institutions. Students may also access their own federal loan records through the same site.