Federal Direct Loan Schedule of Reductions (SOR)
Beginning July 1, 2026, Federal Direct Loans will be reduced based on the number of credits in which a student is enrolled. This process is called the Schedule of Reductions (SOR).
Similar to the Pell grant, students will now be offered the maximum amount of Federal Direct Loan funding per year based on full-time enrollment. See below for an enrollment guide detailing the number of credits in which a student must be enrolled/academically engaged to be considered full-time for financial aid purposes.
| Fall/Spring | Summer | |
| Undergraduate Students: | 12 Credits | 12 Credits |
With the new Federal Direct Loan SOR requirement, full-time students will receive the full amount of their annual loan offer. If a student is enrolled less than full-time, they will not be eligible to receive the full-time amount of loans offered to them. Instead, the college or university will calculate the amount of loan funding the student is eligible to receive based on the number of credits in which they are enrolled academically.
See below for annual Federal Direct Loan limits.
*Please note that amounts offered to you could differ from amounts listed below based on your Cost of Attendance, change in number of credits at the time of disbursement and total lifetime borrowing history. To view your total lifetime borrowing history, log into your studentaid.gov account.
If dependent, your subsidized and unsubsidized Direct Loan annual eligibility is as follows:
|
0-23 Earned Credits
|
24-48 Earned Credits
|
49 and Above Earned Credits, exclude repeated credits
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Subsidized
|
$3,500
|
$4,500
|
$5,500
|
|
Unsubsidized
|
$2,000
|
$2,000
|
$2,000
|
|
Total
|
$5,500
|
$6,500
|
$7,500
|
If independent, your subsidized and unsubsidized Direct Loan annual eligibility is as follows:
|
0-23 Earned Credits
|
24-48 Earned Credits
|
49 and Above Earned Credits, exclude repeated credits
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Subsidized
|
$3,500
|
$4,500
|
$5,500
|
|
Unsubsidized
|
$6,000
|
$6,000
|
$7,000
|
|
Total
|
$9,500
|
$10,500
|
$12,500
|
Utilize the calculator below to ESTIMATE your Federal Direct Student Loan eligibility per term based on the new Federal Schedule Reduction – SOR process.