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Graduate PLUS Loan

On July 4, 2025, the president signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, making changes to some federal student aid programs. Stay informed about the big updates from the new law. Our webpages will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan is being eliminated beginning July 1, 2026.

  • New, incoming graduate and professional students are not eligible for the graduate PLUS loan. Please note that even if you complete the application through Federal Student Aid, we will not be able to process the application.
  • Current borrowers may still be eligible under the legacy provision.

Please visit our One Big Beautiful Bill Act Impacts webpage for more information.

Application Process

Graduate PLUS Loans are federal loans available to graduate and professional students for educational expenses. These are credit-based loans (requiring an application and subject to a credit check). The Federal Graduate PLUS Loan application usually becomes available in late March or early April for the upcoming academic year.

Fall Priority Processing Deadline: July 15, 2026

To apply, students must:

Students should apply early to allow for processing time and avoid late payment consequences, so the loan shows as anticipated aid towards your semester’s charges. If WVU does not receive the loan application by the priority processing deadline, it may not be processed by the beginning of the semester.

Borrower Responsibility

The student is the borrower for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. Graduate and professional level students may apply. The application is subject to a credit check. Parents of graduate and professional level students are not eligible for the parent PLUS loan. This means the student is responsible for:

Tips on Applying

  1. Make sure you select the correct Aid Year at the top of the application (example: Summer 2026 would be the 2025-2026 year; Fall 2026 and Spring and Summer 2027 would be the 2026-2027 year)

  2. Carefully read the options about in-school and post-enrollment deferment

  3. Make sure the loan is sent to West Virginia University - School Code/Branch G03827 - not other schools with similar names such as WV State, the hospitals, or Parkersburg)

  4. Choose the right Loan Period:
  • For both Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, it would be August 2026 through May 2027
  • For Fall 2026 only, it would be August 2026 through December 2027
  • For Spring 2027 only, it would be January 2027 through May 2027
  • To apply for Summer 2027, it would be May 2027 through August 2027

Disbursement Requirements

Complete Loan Requirements

Funds cannot be disbursed to your student account until all requirements are complete. First-time borrowers must complete both Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for their loan After you are approved for the loan, you must:

  1. Log into the Federal Student Aid website with your FSA ID
  2. Accept terms and conditions if prompted, then you should be in your Dashboard
  3. In the Checklists section of your Dashboard page, click on "I'm in School"
  4. Under "I'm in School" click on "Complete Entrance Counseling"
  5. Scroll down to the "I am a Graduate or Professional Student" section, and click the "Start" button
  6. Complete and submit your Entrance Counseling, and make sure you list West Virginia University as a school that you want notified that it has been completed (School Code G03827)
  7. To return to your Dashboard, click on your name in the top right side of the screen, and choose Dashboard from the options
  8. In the Checklists section of your Dashboard page, click on "I'm in School"
  9. Under "I'm in School" click on "Complete Master Promissory Note"
  10. Scroll down to the "I am a Graduate or Professional Student" section, and click the "Select MPN Type" button
  11. Scroll down to the "MPN for Direct PLUS Loans" section, and click the "Start" button
  12. Complete and submit the MPN

Enrollment

You must be enrolled at least half-time for the semester in federal and state aid-eligible courses for loans to disburse as payment.