Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
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  1. IN
  2. OSFA
  3. Types of aid
  4. Student loans
  5. Federal PLUS loans

Federal PLUS loans

Who can borrow the PLUS loan?

Parent PLUS Loan

Legacy students: Parents of legacy students can borrow up to their student’s remaining Cost of Attendance for the lesser of:

  • up to three academic years or
  • until the student’s expected time to credential.

Non-legacy students: Parents of non-legacy students can borrow up to $20,000 per academic year per dependent student.

Further, these parents can only borrow up to $65,000 in Parent PLUS Loan funds in their dependent student’s lifetime.

Graduate PLUS Loan

Legacy students: Legacy students can borrow up to their remaining Cost of Attendance for the lesser of:

  • up to three academic years or
  • until the student’s expected time to credential.

Non-legacy students: Cannot borrow PLUS loan funds.

Do I qualify for legacy status?

Visit our One Big Beautiful Bill Act webpage to determine whether you or your student qualify for legacy status.
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How to apply for a PLUS loan

The Federal PLUS Loan offer cannot be accepted in LOUIE.

  1. Submit the FAFSA each year.
  2. Sign in at Federal Student Aid using your FSA ID and password.
  3. Select to apply for either a Parent PLUS Loan or a Graduate PLUS Loan and complete the application.
    Note: In order to complete the application, you must authorize a credit check.
  4. You’ll be notified of your application outcome shortly after completing the application.

NAU will automatically receive your approved or denied PLUS loan application and take the appropriate next steps within 3-5 business days.

View the dates and deadlines to apply for Federal PLUS Loans.

Federal Student Aid
Dates and deadlines

How to increase an existing PLUS loan amount

Parent PLUS loan

If the borrower, loan period, and designated student remain the same:

  1. Log in at Federal Student Aid.
  2. Select the link titled “Apply for a Direct PLUS Loan” (even though you already have an existing PLUS Loan).
  3. Once there, select from two options:

Option 1

Add to an existing PLUS loan

  • Select the “Change the application” option to change the existing loan.
  • Include the Application ID number of the application being modified.
  • Enter the new total loan amount after the increase, not the amount the loan is being increased by.

Example: if a loan is being increased from $7,500 to $10,000, enter $10,000 as the loan amount instead of the $2,500 difference. Entering $2,500 as the amount would result in the application being submitted as a loan amount decrease.

Option 2

Increase funds by submitting an additional PLUS loan

  • Select the “new application” option.
  • If using this option, submit the application with the increased funds listed as the loan amount. Using the example shown for Option 1 above, the $2,500 would be entered as the total loan amount on a new PLUS loan application.

For a different borrower, or the same borrower in a different loan period and/or different designated student:

  • The “new application” option must be selected; changes cannot be made to the original application in these cases.

How to decrease an existing PLUS loan amount

Option 1

  • Log in at Federal Student Aid.
  • Select the link titled “Apply for a Direct PLUS Loan” (even though you already have an existing PLUS Loan).
  • Select the “change the application” option and enter the new total loan amount after the decrease, not the amount the loan is being decreased by.

Example: if a loan is being decreased from $7,500 to $5,000, enter $5,000 as the loan amount instead of the $2,500 difference. Entering $2,500 as the amount will result in the loan being decreased to a total of $2,500.

Option 2

  • Contact our office and and request the loan be canceled. Please be specific regarding which loan is being canceled if multiple PLUS loans have been awarded.

How to receive an Endorsed Federal Direct PLUS Loan

If denied for the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan or Graduate PLUS loan, a borrower can obtain an endorser for the Federal Direct PLUS loan. An endorser is someone who agrees to vouch for a PLUS Loan, similar to a co-signer, and will repay the PLUS loan if the borrower is unable to do so.

The student cannot serve as an endorser for their parent for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan. Upon credit denial, an Application ID number will be provided to the borrower (parent or graduate student). The endorser will need this Application ID number from the borrower’s denied application to endorse the PLUS Loan.

How it works

1. Obtain Application ID number of the credit denial. The endorser must obtain the Application ID number of the borrower’s credit denial from the borrower.

2. Create Endorser FSA ID. The endorser needs to create a Federal Student Aid ID (username and password) at Federal Student Aid.

3. Endorse a PLUS loan. The endorser signs into StudentLoans.gov and selects “Endorse a PLUS Loan” to complete the process.

How it works

1. Borrower completes the PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN). The borrower (not the endorser) will need to complete a PLUS Master Promissory Note. Though MPNs allow for multi-year borrowing under the same terms, when an endorser is used, the MPN is used for that loan only. Therefore, a borrower who has previously received a PLUS Loan with or without an endorser will need to complete a new PLUS MPN for this endorsed loan.

2. Complete credit counseling. When the borrower is initially denied and then approved with an endorser, the borrower must complete the PLUS Counseling before the PLUS Loan can be disbursed. This counseling is a review of loan and repayment obligations, and is available at Federal Student Aid.

3. Complete Entrance Counseling (graduate borrowers only). Complete the Entrance Counseling required for receiving Graduate Federal Direct Loans if this has not already been completed previously.

4. Notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Once the endorsement is approved, send us an email.

Frequently asked questions

For the parent PLUS loan, the parent who applied for the loan is the borrower. For the grad PLUS loan, the graduate student is the borrower.

Generally, financial aid will disburse no earlier than 10 days before a student’s classes begin for the semester.

Be sure to complete these items to ensure your loan disburses on time:

  • PLUS Application is completed by the borrower
  • PLUS MPN is completed by the borrower
  • If the PLUS Loan is endorsed or appealed, PLUS Counseling is completed by the borrower