Financial Aid for Graduate Students
Graduate Students must have at least 5 hours / be part time to receive federal financial aid (9 hours is full time for a graduate student).
Need-based financial aid for graduate students consists of student loans. In addition to demonstrating financial need, general eligibility requirements for financial aid include acceptance for admission as a candidate for a degree or approved program, enrollment of at least a half time basis (5 credits per semester) and status as a U. S. Citizen or permanent resident.
To apply for need-based assistance, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web at www.fafsa.gov. Priority for funds administered by North Carolina A&T will be given to applications received at the federal processing center by December 1.
Applications should be submitted as soon after October 1 as possible. To have your FAFSAinformation sent to N.C. A&T, enter our Federal School Code, 002905, in Step 6 of the FAFSA. Be sure to enter a housing code to indicate where you plan to live while attending the College. While it is preferable to use income figures from a completed income tax return, you may use estimated income figures if necessary to ensure on-time application. After the FAFSA is submitted, the federal processor will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR). Be sure that N.C. A&T is listed on the SAR; otherwise we will not be able to receive your information from the federal processor. If N.C. A&T is not listed or a SAR is not received within four to six weeks, contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
Note: N.C. A&T reserves the right to require verification of income data submitted by any and all applicants for financial assistance. Awards for those who are asked for such verification will be made conditional upon receipt of the requested information/documentation. Forms of documentation or verification that may be requested include, but are not limited to, copies of IRS tax transcripts and copies of authorization forms for untaxed income. Any discrepancy in reported figures may result in adjustment or cancellation of the financial aid award and may be reported to the federal government for further review and possible legal action.
Federal Direct Loans
Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 per year from the Unsubsidized Direct Loan. In all cases, the total amount of student aid from all programs is limited to a student's total educational costs as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Eligible graduate students in eligible programs who have remaining educational expenses after borrowing their maximum annual eligibility under the Direct Unsubsidized program may borrow from the PLUS program to meet the remaining portion of their cost of attendance. As noted above, the total amount of student aid from all programs is limited to a student's total educational costs as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) includes changes to federal student aid effective July 1, 2026. Some of these changes may affect students and families at North Carolina A&T State University.
Federal Student Loan Changes Effective July 1, 2026
The information below is based on final federal guidance from the Department of Education available as of May 1, 2026.
Grad PLUS Loans- Grad PLUS loans will be phased out beginning on July 1, 2026; beginning on that date, new loans will not be available for new borrowers.
- There will be some continuing eligibility for existing Grad PLUS borrowers as they complete their current programs.
- A student who takes out any Direct Loan or a Grad PLUS Loan before July 1, 2026, can continue to borrow a Grad PLUS loan within the “3-year or until program completion” period, as long as they remain in the same program at the same school where they first borrowed the loan before July 1, 2026.
- If a student completes their program, withdraws, changes their program, or enrolls in a new program, they will no longer be eligible for Grad PLUS and will now fall under the new rules.
- Professional programs (e.g., medicine, law):
- Up to $50,000/year, $200,000 aggregate borrowing limit.
- Other graduate programs:
- Up to $20,500/year, $100,000 aggregate borrowing limit.
- Combined lifetime borrowing limit of $257,500, including Grad PLUS, excluding Parent PLUS.
- Existing unsubsidized loan borrowers can access unsubsidized loans under the current limits until they complete their current program or for 3 additional years, whichever is less.
- The Department of Education has issued temporary guidance regarding eligible professional degree programs in response to a court order. Because this remains in active litigation, eligibility requirements may change as the case proceeds. For the most current information, please refer to the Department’s latest guidance: GENERAL-26-42 Update to List of Professional Programs Due to Court Order.
