Olson hall interior

Important Updates

  • The 2024-25 FAFSA and CADAA applications will open in December 2023. Visit FAFSA Simplification for details.
  • UC Davis students who are victims of the Maui Fires may be eligible for funding. Visit Basic Needs for details.
  • If you have been selected for verification, please complete the requirements as soon as possible. For details, visit Verification.
  • For California Middle Class Scholarship updates, please visit MCS.

Loans for Graduate Students

Locating Your Loan Servicers

Visit Federal Student Aid to log in and locate your federal loan servicer(s). Contact your loan servicer for additional details.

Loans are financial aid awards that require repayment with interest under varying terms and conditions. Borrowers must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet eligibility requirements to receive loans. 

Interest rate and loan fees for the year are determined annually on July 1.

Loan Fund Interest Rate 2022-23 Interest Rate 2023-24
Federal Direct Graduate Unsubsidized Loan 6.54% 7.05%
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan 7.54% 8.05%

Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Available to graduate and professional students; eligibility is not based on financial need.

  • Minimum: $200
  • Maximum: $20,500

Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

Eligibility is not based on financial need, but a credit check is required. Borrowers who have an adverse credit history must meet additional requirements to qualify. 

  • Minimum: $200
  • Maximum: varies by student

To calculate maximum use: cost of attendance minus estimated financial assistance = PLUS Loan eligibility. Estimated financial assistance includes grants, scholarships, sponsorships, fee remissions, and other department resources. For more information, visit Graduate PLUS Loans.

Dream Loan

The California DREAM Loan Program provides eligible AB540 graduate students with the option to borrow loans to help cover college expenses while attending UC Davis. Students who demonstrate financial aid eligibility will be offered a DREAM loan. The amount offered may vary based on the academic year and available funding.

  • Minimum: $200
  • Maximum: $4,000

For additional resources, visit AB540 and Undocumented Students.

Private Loans

When considering private education loans, it's crucial to understand their specific characteristics:

  • Variable Interest Rates: Private loans often have interest rates that can change with market conditions.
  • Credit Rating Impact: Your credit rating influences the interest rate you'll receive on a private loan.
  • Eligibility Variability: Eligibility criteria differ among lenders, including citizenship requirements and co-signer obligations.

For more information, visit Private Loans.

Accepting Loans

You can accept all or a portion of your loan at any time during the academic year, although it is important to note that the deadline to accept an offered federal and/or institutional loan for each academic year is in mid-May.

Steps to accept a loan:

  • Log into MyAwards
    • Accept all or a portion of the loan(s)
    • Go to the requirements tab. Review and complete loan requirements:
      • Promissory Note 
      • Entrance Counseling 
  • Review important dates to confirm when the school will begin to satisfy loan requirements. Keep confirmation of the completed requirements for your records.

Declining or Reducing Loans

Borrowers can decline all or part of the loan. Direct loan fund revisions may be requested within 120 days of the disbursement date. A balance may be created if the loan funds you are declining have already been applied to your MyBill account. Visit MyBill to review and repay any account balances created by the revision request.

Note: If the request is received outside of the 120-day disbursement period, the school will make a partial loan revision and direct you to the appropriate loan servicer for repayment guidance.

Steps to decline/reduce a loan:

  • Log into MyAwards
    • Select "Awards"
    • Scroll down to select “submit a change in aid request”
    • Select "Make changes to my loans"
    • Submit form for processing