FAFSA aggregate loan limit flagged for grad school - how to navigate MSW loan options at BU?

This is actually a common misunderstanding. The $138,500 aggregate limit includes both undergraduate and graduate borrowing combined. However, there's a separate sub-limit of $65,500 for subsidized loans specifically. So if your son is close to that subsidized limit, the system might flag him even though he's under the total aggregate limit. He should still be eligible for unsubsidized loans up to the remaining difference toward the $138,500 total. I'd recommend requesting a detailed loan history from studentaid.gov to see exactly where he stands with each loan type.

my brother had THE EXACT SAME THING happen when he went for his masters!! turned out he actually hit the subsidized loan limit bc undergrad. its confusing bc the flag makes it sound like u cant get ANY more loans but thats not true. he still got unsubsidized loans for his whole program, just no more of the subsidized ones with the better interest rate. BU financial aid is notoriously unhelpful lol

I work in financial aid at a different university. That flag typically means one of three things: 1) Your son has reached the $65,500 subsidized loan limit (which includes both undergraduate and graduate loans) 2) There's a discrepancy in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) that's incorrectly calculating his totals 3) There's an active loan default or delinquency causing eligibility issues Step 1: Have your son log into studentaid.gov and download his aid summary. This will show exact loan amounts and remaining eligibility. Step 2: Submit a Loan Increase Request form to BU's financial aid office specifically requesting unsubsidized loans up to the graduate annual maximum ($20,500/year for graduate students). Step 3: If the flag persists, request a manual review of his aggregate limits by submitting a copy of his studentaid.gov aid summary to BU's financial aid office. For graduate school, he should still qualify for up to $20,500 per year in unsubsidized Direct loans, regardless of his undergraduate borrowing (assuming he hasn't reached the overall $138,500 limit).

Everyone talking about subsidized loans for grad school is actually wrong - grad students are NOT eligible for subsidized loans at all anymore since 2012! So this whole situation is even more confusing. Are you sure the loans were categorized correctly when you listed them? If your son just finished undergrad, he definitely shouldn't be anywhere near the aggregate limit unless something is miscategorized or there's a system error.

Have you guys tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly? I spent WEEKS going back and forth with my school's financial aid office about a similar issue and got nowhere. Then I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in like 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The FSA agent was able to see exactly what was happening with my loans in their system and sent documentation to my school that fixed the issue. Saved me so much stress because school financial aid offices often don't have the full picture that the federal system does.

One other critical thing to understand is that for graduate school, your son should focus on Graduate PLUS loans rather than trying to maximize Direct Unsubsidized loans if he's running into limit issues. Grad PLUS loans can cover up to the full cost of attendance minus any other aid, and don't have aggregate limits like Direct loans do. The interest rate is slightly higher, but in many cases, the income-driven repayment options make them more manageable long-term, especially for social workers who might qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Make sure he completes a separate application for Grad PLUS loans on studentaid.gov.

I think everyone here is overcomplicating this!!!!! My daughter got the same message from her grad school and all it meant was she maxed out subsidized loans. She just got unsubsidized loans instead. Literally thats it. No big deal.

Update us when you figure it out! I'm going to be in the same boat next year when I start my graduate program. The whole financial aid system is SO unnecessarily complicated. It's like they designed it to be as frustrating as possible. 😡

I'm new to this whole financial aid process and reading through this thread has been super helpful! I'm planning to apply for graduate school next year and had no idea about the subsidized loan limits or that grad students can't get subsidized loans anymore. Can someone clarify - if I'm understanding correctly, even if you hit the subsidized loan limit from undergrad, you can still get unsubsidized loans for grad school up to the annual limit ($20,500/year), plus Grad PLUS loans to cover remaining costs? And the key is to specifically request these when the school flags you rather than waiting for them to figure it out automatically?

As someone who just went through this exact process last year for my MPH program, I can confirm what others have said - the "flagged" message is usually about hitting the subsidized loan limit from undergrad. The wording is incredibly misleading and makes it sound like you can't get any more federal loans at all! What worked for me was being very specific when contacting financial aid. Don't just ask about the flag - explicitly request: 1) Maximum annual unsubsidized Direct loans for graduate students ($20,500), and 2) A Graduate PLUS loan application to cover remaining costs. I had to send three separate emails before they finally sent me the right forms. Also, definitely pull that loan history from studentaid.gov first - I found an error in my records that was inflating my borrowing totals. The whole process took about 3 weeks to resolve, but I ended up getting full funding for my program through the combination of unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans. Don't let BU's financial aid office discourage you - there are definitely options available!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm starting my graduate program in social work next fall and had no idea about these loan complexities. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key is being proactive and specific when requesting loans rather than waiting for the school to figure it out. I'm definitely going to bookmark this conversation and check my loan history on studentaid.gov before I even apply for financial aid. It's frustrating that schools don't explain these nuances upfront - the "flagged" messaging sounds so scary when really it might just mean switching from subsidized to unsubsidized loans. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and breaking down the different loan types! This is exactly the kind of real-world advice that's missing from official financial aid websites.

Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a prospective graduate student and had no idea about these loan limit complexities. From reading everyone's experiences, it seems like the main takeaways are: 1) The "flagged" message is usually misleading and often just means you've hit the subsidized loan limit from undergrad, 2) You need to be very specific when requesting unsubsidized Direct loans ($20,500/year for grad students) and Grad PLUS loans, and 3) Always pull your complete loan history from studentaid.gov first to check for any errors. It's frustrating that financial aid offices don't explain this clearly upfront, but I'm grateful for everyone sharing their real experiences here. This kind of practical advice is exactly what's missing from the official websites!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have stumbled upon this thread! I'm just starting to research graduate programs and had absolutely no idea that the federal loan system was this complex. Reading through everyone's experiences has been like getting a masterclass in financial aid that I never would have learned from official sources. The fact that graduate students lost subsidized loan eligibility in 2012 is news to me, and understanding the difference between annual limits, aggregate limits, and the various loan types (Direct vs. PLUS) is going to save me so much confusion down the road. It's really eye-opening how misleading that "flagged" message can be - it sounds like you're completely ineligible when really you just need to request different loan types. I'm definitely going to pull my loan history from studentaid.gov and bookmark all the specific language people have shared for communicating with financial aid offices. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and break down these complex processes - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that prospective grad students need!