<p>Got kind of a complex question on Stafford Loans. I'd really appreciate some insight.</p>
<p>So I know there are lifetime aggregate limits for how much can be borrowed in Stafford Loans -- something like 57K for undergraduate loans, and 130/140k for graduate loans. Here's where I'm looking for some clarity: Let's say a borrower didn't take out Stafford loans for an undergraduate degree, but did so for a graduate degree (about 60K or so). Would that person be able to take out another loan for a second bachelors? I understand that the 60K exceeds the 57K loan limit for undergraduate loans, but since the 60K came from graduate loans, is the person still eligible for undergraduate funds? Thanks for any info anyone can offer.</p>
<p>Graduate and undergraduate Stafford loan amounts are tracked separately. If you have no undergrad debt, you can borrow up to the undergrad loan limits as long as you don’t exceed the overall aggregate loan limits for a graduate student. The undergrad loans will count toward the grad loan limits, but the grad loans won’t count toward the undergrad loan limits (except if you borrowed grad loans in the same award year, in which case they DO count against the annual undergrad loan limits). Clear as mud?</p>
<p>In this same vein, do any of you know the answer to this question:</p>
<p>I was accepted into a graduate program that begins in a couple of weeks. This summer I took a couple of undergraduate courses to help me prepare for my graduate studies. I took out $3,600 in undergraduate loans for summer quarter. My financial aid department just posted my financial aid for this year (for my graduate studies) and they included the $3,600 loan from my undergraduate courses this summer towards my annual graduate loan limits ($20,500). Is this correct? The reason I ask is because my financial aid department is completely unorganized and notoriously incorrect. I spoke with a financial aid officer before taking the loans this summer and she told me the loans for my undergrad count towards undergrad loan limits and that my graduate studies in the fall would not include the loan for summer quarter. If I had know it would have counted towards the graduate limits I wouldn’t have taken the loan because now I am short $,200 a quarter.</p>
<p>If you are referring to me, the ‘grad loans’ I am referring to are the Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans which have a $20,500 annual borrowing limit for graduate programs.</p>
<p>My question Klea…why were your undergrad courses paid for with “grad school Stafford loans”. I don’t understand that part. Were you not able to get undergrad loans for those courses?</p>
<p>My undergraduate courses weren’t paid for with graduate loans. They were paid for with undergraduate loans, but because I took the undergrad loans in the same academic school year, the undergrad loans are being applied towards my graduate annual borrowing limit of $20,500.</p>
<p>I am working part-time now. I can’t really add anymore to my schedule. The graduate program is accelerated, which means it is super condensed. I am taking 18hours of grad courses (on a quarter system, standard is 10hours), raising an 8 year old, and have to do an internship. I will figure it out, I always do. I’m just pretty irritated with the incompetence of my financial aid department.</p>