Olson hall interior

Important Updates

  • If you have been selected for verification, the deadline is June 15, 2023.  Please review your email for instructions.
  • For California Middle Class Scholarship updates, please visit MCS.
  • For Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief information, please visit Apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief.

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 2021-22 Interest Rate 2022-23
Federal Direct Graduate Unsubsidized Loan 5.28% 6.54%
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan 6.28% 7.54%

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 Undocumented/DACAmented Students.

Steps to apply for loans

  • Log into MyAwards
    • Accept or decline the loan. Complete the next steps if you accepted 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 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