Applying for Federal Direct Student Loans
Borrowers are encouraged to utilize Federal Direct Loans rather than private educational loans. Students should first complete the FAFSA to be considered for Federal Loans. Before accepting loans or applying for new loans, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with our financial aid counselors to discuss any questions you have.
Federal Unsubsidized Loan
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility is included in your financial aid award notice. Graduate and professional students are eligible to borrow $20,500 in Direct Unsubsidized Loans annually.
To finalize the Unsubsidized Loan, students should complete initiated items on your “To Do List” on MySlice, including the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling. These can also be completed directly at studentaid.gov.
Graduate PLUS
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans are credit-based and not automatically awarded by the Financial Aid Office. To help you determine the amount of Graduate PLUS Loan needed for the academic year, students should use our Budget Calculator to estimate expenses and other aid resources. Once you finalize your estimate, visit studentaid.gov to apply for a Graduate PLUS loan. Educational loans only can be borrowed during the loan period for which a student is enrolled at least half time. A loan period is defined as the timeframe between the first day of classes and the last day of classes. Loans cannot be borrowed during periods of non-enrollment and new loans cannot be certified after the loan period has ended.
Summer Loans
Summer Loans may be available to students to cover the cost of tuition and fees, as well as personal living expenses for the weeks of summer enrollment. Maximum eligibility is based on the number of credits for which a student enrolls. Students must enroll at least half-time, a minimum of 4 credits in the summer to qualify for federal loans. A Summer financial aid application must be completed through MySlice to begin the summer loan application process.
Reducing or Declining Loans
Any offered loans can be reduced or declined with a student’s written consent throughout the academic year. Please note that it’s our institutional policy that we allow borrowers up to 60 days from the date of disbursement to cancel their loan, or the end of the term, whichever is earlier. If our office receives a cancellation request outside of the required cancelation period, we reserve the right to deny the request. Syracuse Law will not return any loan funds more than 120 days after the date of disbursement. Prior to disbursement, you can reduce or decline your Unsubsidized loan through use of the Accept/Decline tab within your MySlice account under the “Financial Aid” tile. After disbursement, please use our Loan Reduction/Cancellation Form. Some additional helpful resources to help you understand student loans, borrowing and repayment are available under the section “Managing Student Loans”. We encourage you to reach out to the financial aid office with any questions or concerns that you may have as you consider your options.