⚠ Policy change effective July 1, 2026: Grad PLUS loans eliminated for new borrowers. Read the law →

Grad School Gap Calculator

See your exact funding shortfall under the 2026 OBBBA caps

Your Program Details

Institutional aid, external scholarships
Reduces your aggregate limit

Annual Funding Gap

Gap Detected
−$69,900
per year you must fund outside federal loans
Cost of Attendance$98,400
Scholarships / Grants−$8,000
Net Cost$90,400
Federal Loan Cap−$20,500
Annual Funding Gap−$69,900

Funding Stack — Annual

Federal
$20,500 (20.8%)
Aid
$8,000 (8.1%)
Gap
$69,900 (71.0%)

Aggregate Limit Timeline

Exhausted Year 4
Graduate aggregate limit$100,000
Minus undergraduate debt−$22,000
Remaining federal capacity$78,000
$20.5K
$20.5K
$20.5K
Year 1Year 2Year 3

3-Year Total Funding Gap

Critical
−$209,700
total private funding needed over 3 years
Estimated monthly payment (10yr, 8.5% APR)$2,600/mo
Estimated total interest$102,320
Note: Estimates assume 10-year repayment at 8.5% APR. Actual rates depend on credit and lender. This tool is for planning only. Data from The 2026 Graduate Education Funding Crisis: A Data Report.