Eligible students may borrow up to $20,500 (or within your Cost of Attendance) per award year. Interest accrues during your enrollment. At least half-time enrollment per semester is required. There is an origination fee deducted from your federal loan amount prior to the disbursement. For the current origination fees, click here.

Instructions on how to obtain a Federal Direct Loan are below:

• Meet Federal Student Aid eligibility requirements.
• Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Students who meet the eligibility requirements are automatically offered an unsubsidized loan. A communication will be sent to your Baruch email account with instructions about how to accept, reduce, or decline your offered Direct Loan.
• First-time borrowers must complete your Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN) (or borrowers with an expired MPN ).
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Eligible students who have exceeded their maximum federal unsubsidized loan amount of $20,500 (or have exhausted their lifetime usage of $138,500) and need additional funds to meet their Cost of Attendance (COA) may apply. First-borrowers (or borrowers with an expired MPN) must complete a PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN).  A credit check will be performed during the application process.

To increase or decrease your Graduate PLUS loan, you must resubmit an application here. For increases, select “New” as the reason for submitting your application and enter the additional amount you wish to borrow. For decreases, select “Change” as the reason for submitting your PLUS application followed by the previous Loan Reference Number you wish to modify.

To cancel your Graduate PLUS loan, please submit a Direct Loan Change form. Your Baruch username and password will be required to login.

If it is determined you have an adverse credit history, you may obtain an endorser or appeal the decision with the U.S. Department of Education. Your endorser or appeal must be approved to continue the application process. Students with adverse credit must complete PLUS Credit Counseling.

Graduate and professional students are eligible to participate in the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program. For more information on eligibility, visit the Federal Work-Study page.

For graduate assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships, please contact the prospective graduate program that you will attend.

CUNY does not retain a preferred alternative/private lender list. We encourage students to conduct research independently. Eligibility for alternative/private loans depends on your/your cosigner’s credit score and other financial obligations.

To make adjustments to your Federal Direct Loan amounts, periods, or to reinstate your cancelled/declined loan, you can complete the Direct Loan Change form using your CUNYfirst credentials. Deadlines to request or adjust a federal loan are 3 weeks before the end of the respective term. We will communicate these dates in advance to eligible students using your Baruch email account.

Federal loans are disbursed to the college in two payments. Your loan disbursement is first applied to any outstanding balance within the award year, and the remaining funds are then direct deposited (if enrolled) or mailed to the address noted on CUNYfirst. Authorized federal loans disburse weekly after the earliest disbursement date for each term. To view the initial disbursement dates of your federal loan:

• Login to CUNYfirst
• Select Student Center tile
• Click on Financial Aid tile
• Select the Aid Year
• To view your initial disbursement date, navigate to the Disbursements tab within the Awards drop-down menu
• Select the semester you would like to view for the scheduled disbursement date from the drop-down menu

Unaccepted loans are periodically cancelled based on less-than-half-time enrollment, unresponsiveness, cost of attendance changes, and other applicable reasons. Students should always read their Baruch e-mail account as we send communications before federal loans are cancelled.