Annual caps will be set at $20,500 for graduate students and $50,000 for professional students. In the aggregate, loans will be capped at $100,000 for graduate students and $200,000 for professional students.
The new loan limits take effect on July 1, 2026.
The bill provides an exception to the limits for borrowers enrolled in a program of study prior to July 1, 2026 to allow them to complete their program subject to the prior loan limits. Under this exception, if a student has a Graduate PLUS Loan made before July 1, 2026, while enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program, the student can continue to borrow from the Graduate PLUS Program for three academic years or the remainder of their expected time to credential, whichever is less.
The bill defines graduate student as a student enrolled in a program of study that awards a graduate credential (other than a professional degree) upon completion of the program. The bill defines professional student as a student enrolled in a program of study that awards a professional degree (as defined under section 668.2 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations) upon completion of the program.
In order to change the definition of graduate student or professional student, Congress would need to pass a new law amending the OBBBA language. To change the definition of professional degree, the U.S. Department of Education would need to do so through the negotiated rulemaking process. Both of these are time-consuming processes and are unlikely to happen.
An LL.M. degree, also known as a Master of Laws, is a graduate degree that allows students to study a specialized area of the law. As a graduate degree, LL.M. students’ borrowing would be capped at $20,500 per year and $100,000 in the aggregate.
No. Any amount borrowed for a graduate degree will be subtracted from the amount available to borrow for a professional degree, just as any amount borrowed for a professional degree will be subtracted from the amount available to borrow for a graduate degree. In total, students who borrow federal loans for both a graduate and a professional degree may only borrow up to $200,000.
The lifetime borrowing cap will be $257,500 on all federal student loans ($200,000 for graduate and professional degrees, plus $57,500 for undergraduate degree).
ZotAid Student Portal
You will receive an email when your financial aid offer is available to review. Once received, log into ZotAid and click on the “Financial” link in the top menu bar. Your financial aid offer and cost of attendance will display on this page. Click on the “Messages” link in the top menu bar to view/print a PDF of your award offer.
Log in to your ZotAid portal and click on the “Documents” link in the top menu bar. Click Submit on a document with a Requested status in order to complete and submit it. If the document was not requested, click on the “upload a non requested document” link in the top paragraph. We cannot accept or open email attachments.
You can accept your loans on ZotAid. Click here for step by step instructions. Only accept what you need to borrow. Loan amounts are annual, and will be disbursed equally across each semester. We encourage you to review our Rights & Responsibilities webpage for information on borrowing and your responsibilities as a borrower.
In ZotAid, complete and submit the Consent for Release of Financial Aid Information form on the “Document” link in the top menu bar. Authorization can be revoked at any time by notifying our office.
To create a parent account in ZotAid to act on behalf of a student, follow thesestep-by-step instructions.
No. Only submit this document if you wish to grant a third party (parent, spouse, other person) access to your financial aid information. This form will stay in a Requested status on your Documents tab in ZotAid, but it is never required. Once submitted, authorization can be revoked at any time by contacting our office.
Yes. All students who receive financial aid must complete a Federal Aid Payment Authorization Form in order for their financial aid to be applied to the tuition and fee charges on their Zot Account.
No, you only need to submit a document one time. If you see a duplicate document requested, you only need to submit one.
All entering students are assumed to live on campus. You must confirm your housing plans by completing and submitting a Housing Plan document on the “Documents” link in the top menu bar of ZotAid.
Your cost of attendance is the estimated average and reasonable cost of completing an academic year at UC Irvine School of Law. It serves as the foundation for determining your financial need as well as the amounts and types of financial aid that can be offered to you. The cost of attendance varies based on your housing type, which means if your housing plan changes, your financial aid offer will also change.
If you have enrolled full-time, completed all of your financial aid tasks and submitted all required documents, your financial aid will disburse to yourZotAccountno more than 10 days before the start of the semester. All of your accepted financial aid will first pay the charges on your bill on yourZotAccount.
If the amount of financial aid you receive exceeds the amount of your tuition and fee charges, you will receive a refund for the remaining amount around the first day of the semester. If the amount of your financial aid is less than the amount of your bill, you will be responsible for paying the remaining balance before your financial aid will disburse.Note: For refunds, we strongly encourage students to sign up for Direct Deposit (a.k.a.Electronic Funds Transfer [EFT]).
Adjustments to your financial aid offer may happen throughout the year for several reasons. The most common reasons include corrections to your application information during verification, receipt of additional financial aid or outside scholarships, or you made a change to your housing type on your Housing Plan document in ZotAid.
UC Irvine reserves the right to adjust offers to correct any awarding errors. Changes to qualifying information or revisions of federal, state, or institutional policy or funding may result in updates to aid eligibility and adjustments to financial aid offers. Information is subject to change.
Financial aid regulations require that students meet specific eligibility requirements, including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive financial aid. Please review all eligibility requirements, including our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and the Appeal Process for more information.
Financial aid offers, when available, and other application information can be found in theZotAidportal. You will also check for missing information or tasks required to complete your application, or upload documents.
If you have additional questions, pleasecontact usso we can help.
Scholarships
Outside scholarships are coordinated with your financial aid offer in accordance with federal regulations. You are required to report expected or received funds by uploading the scholarship notification document on the Document tab in your ZotAid portal, including awards paid directly to you.
The total of your financial aid awards, including your outside awards, cannot exceed your cost of attendance. If you receive an outside award, your financial aid awards will be adjusted based on the conditions of the outside award.
Outside awards are awarded and disbursed evenly between terms unless donor instructions state otherwise.
To assist you in your search for outside private scholarships, we have provided a list of scholarship opportunities awarded by outside agencies. All outside agency scholarships have specific application procedures, criteria, and deadlines. We encourage you tolet us know of any other scholarships you find that may be available to others.
If you are awarded any outside agency scholarship, please advise the Office of Student Financial Services so that we may assist you in determining how the scholarship will affect your cost of attendance.
UCI determines residency based on information students provide in the mandatory Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) form. Official residence determinations are made only after the student's SLR is reviewed and any requested documentation is received by the University Registrar's Office. General guidelines on establishing residency can be found here:https://www.ucop.edu/residency/index.html
Students with specific eligibility questions should contact a Residency Officer at the Registrar’s Office. Residency Officers can be reached in person, via telephone at 949.824.6124, or via email atregres@uci.edu.
Note: Financial aid offers are based on self-reported residency information until your residency status is confirmed by a Residency Officer. Your financial aid awards may change significantly if you are classified as a nonresident.
UC Irvine Graduate Student Health Insurance Program (GSHIP)
For information on UC Irvine Graduate Student Health Insurance (GSHIP), please visit the UC Irvine Graduate Student Health Insurance (GSHIP) website at studenthealth.uci.edu/graduate-insurance.
Veteran Benefits
Visit veteranbenefits.uci.edu for information regarding benefits, how to contact the Veteran Benefits team with questions, and other resources.
You can contact your VA County Office or visit the CalVet website and create an account.
Some or all instruction for all or part of the Academic Year may be delivered remotely. Tuition and fees have been set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction occurs remotely for any part of the Academic Year. Figures for tuition and fees represent currently approved or proposed amounts and may not be final. Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California as determined to be necessary or appropriate. Final approved tuition and fee levels may differ from the amounts presented.
State of California Disclosure: Federal student loans are available to most students regardless of income and provide a range of repayment options including some income-based repayment plans and loan-forgiveness benefits, which other education loans are not required to provide.
