Applying for Summer Aid

Financial aid for summer attendance is usually limited to loans from the Federal Direct Loan Program or private alternative loans. You are eligible to borrow from the Federal Direct Loan Program if you:

  • register for and maintain a total summer course load of at least six (6) credit hours, and meet all other general eligibility requirements for receiving aid, such as being a degree seeking student and making satisfactory academic progress, and
  • have not already borrowed the annual federal loan limit for your class standing, as determined by the number of credits you have earned.
  • have applied for aid for the current (not the upcoming) academic year via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov (Catholic University's Federal Title IV code is 001437)

The Catholic University Summer Aid Application is available on the Office of Student Financial Assistance's Forms page.

Federal Direct Loan Program Annual Maximums

If you have not reached your annual loan limit for the academic year, you can borrow the difference between the loan limit for your grade level and your current loan. For example, if you are a dependent freshman and borrowed $3,000 in the fall and/or spring, you may be eligible for a summer loan of up to $500.

The amount you can borrow annually depends on your grade level, as determined by the number of credits you have earned. Loans are also limited to amounts that do not exceed the Cost of Attendance (COA) for the semester/year the student is enrolled for.

ANNUAL LOAN LIMITS

GRADE LEVEL *

EARNED CREDITS

DEPENDENT **

INDEPENDENT

Freshman

0-29

$5,500

$9,500

Sophomore

30-59

$6,500

$10,500

Junior

60-89

$7,500

$12,500

Senior

90+

$7,500

$12,500

Graduate

N/A

$20,500

$20,500

* The individual departments determine grade level and some vary from the standards above.

**You are considered dependent if you were required to report parental income information on the FAFSA.

In order for the Office of Student Financial Assistance to process you for your federal loan eligibility for the summer term, we must receive your completed valid FAFSA results from the U.S. Department of Education three weeks before the end of the last summer session in which you plan to be registered.

Federal Pell Grant

In addition, if you are a Federal Pell Grant recipient and were enrolled less than full time during the previous academic year, you may have remaining eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant Program.

Commercial Loans

Students who have reached their annual Federal Direct Student Loan limit can consider applying for an private/alternative loan. Students are urged to explore and exhaust their federal loan eligibility before considering commercial education loans which generally carry higher interest rates and origination fees. For more information, please visit the Private (Commercial) Education Loans site.