Loans
Loans are awarded after your eligibility for grants, scholarships, and Federal Work-Study (FWS) is considered. Your financial aid package may include loans in the form of need based and/or non-need based financial aid.
Loan limits
Federal regulations place annual and aggregate (lifetime) limits on the amount you can borrow. These limits include Federal Stafford Loans borrowed at other schools you have attended. The total amount borrowed in all programs combined (including Parent Loans) can't exceed your annual costs as determined by OSU, minus any other aid you will receive.
Annual loan limits
Undergraduate
| Undergraduate | Base amount | Additional unsubsidized |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman | $3,500 |
$2000 *$6,000 if Independent |
| Sophomore | $4,500 |
$2,000 *$6,000 if Independent |
| Junior/Senior | $5,500 |
$2,000 $7,000 if Independent |
*Undergraduate Dependent students whose parents are denied for the Parent Loan may be eligible for the Independent Undergraduate loan limits.
Graduate/Professional
| Base amount | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Graduate |
*$20,500 |
Unsubsidized Only |
| Graduate: first-time borrowers after July 1, 2026 | $20,000 |
Unsubsidized Only |
| Professional (Vet Med and Masters of Healthcare Administration): first-time borrowers after July 1, 2026 | $50,000 |
Unsubsidized Only |
*Legacy provision: if a borrower has a Direct Unsubsidized loan made before July 1, 2026, while enrolled in a credentialed program, the borrower can continue to borrow under current loan limits for three academic years or the remainder of their expected time to credential, whichever is less.
Parent PLUS
| Base amount | |
|---|---|
|
Parent PLUS Borrowers: first-time borrowers after July 1, 2026 |
*$20,000: per dependent student |
*Legacy provision: if a borrower has a Parent PLUS loan made before July 1, 2026, while the dependent student is enrolled in a credentialed program, the parent can continue to borrow under current loan limits for three academic years or the remainder of their dependent student's expected time to credential, whichever is less.
Aggregate (lifetime) loan limits
Undergraduate
| Classification | Subsidized limit | Overall limit |
|---|---|---|
| Dependent undergraduate | $23,000 | $31,000 |
| Independent Undergraduate | $23,000 | $57,500 |
Graduate
| Classification | Overall limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate | $100,000 | Does not include amounts borrowed as an undergraduate. |
| Professional (Vet Med and Masters of Healthcare Administration) | $200,000 | Does not include amounts borrowed as an undergraduate. |
Parent PLUS
| Classification | Overall limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Parent PLUS Borrowers: first-time borrowers after July 1, 2026 | *$65,000 | per dependent student (without regard to amounts forgiven, repaid, canceled or discharged) |
*Legacy provision: if a borrower has a Parent PLUS loan made before July 1, 2026, while the dependent student is enrolled in a credentialed program, the parent can continue to borrow under current loan limits for three academic years or the remainder of their dependent student's expected time to credential, whichever is less.
You can view the total amount of federal loans you have borrowed by visiting your account dashboard on studentaid.gov.
Need based loans
Non-need based loans
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
- Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
- Health Professions Loan Program (Vet Med only)
Other loans
Loan information
- Direct Loan Master Promissory Note, Entrance Counseling and/or Exit Counseling
- Loan consolidation & forgiveness
- Federal Perkins Loan forgiveness information
- Student loan code of conduct
- Loan calculators
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Loan proration
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All borrowers: per federal regulation, we are required to prorate annual loan amounts in direct proportion to the percent of full-time status you are enrolled in before any disbursement.
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Graduating borrowers: per federal regulation we are required to prorate an undergraduate student's annual loan limits, when they are enrolled in one semester and will graduate in the same academic year. This mostly will affect students who will graduate at the end of the fall semester. If you fail to notify the financial aid office of your upcoming graduation prior to the disbursement of your loans, the financial aid office will receive an official graduation list from the registrar's office and your loans may be adjusted which could result in a bill with the university.
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