Grad Funding Options

Thinking about graduate school loans? 🎓

With the federal Grad PLUS loan ending in 2026, your credit score is now a major factor in how much you can borrow—and at what rate.

In our new post, “𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘: 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑳𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑺𝒆𝒆 & 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆,” we explore:

✅ What credit scores mean for grad-school borrowers
📊 How 2025 graduate borrowers compare to national averages
💬 Why some students need cosigners—and how to prepare

Understanding your before you borrow could save you thousands.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/4mtaehnb

Before You Borrow: What Lenders See & Graduate Borrowers Compare Learn what private lenders see when evaluating your credit, how 2025 graduate borrowers compare nationally, & what these credit-score trends mean for loan approval, cosigner needs, & borrowing costs.

🎓 Paying off grad school debt? The length of your loan term can make or break your financial freedom.

✅ Short-term = faster payoff + less interest

💡 Long-term = lower payments + more flexibility

Explore which repayment path fits your goals and budget:

👉 Read now: https://tinyurl.com/3u8dtsfm

Repayment Strategies: Short vs. Long Graduate Student Loan Terms Explore the pros and cons of short vs. long graduate student loan repayment terms. Learn how repayment length affects interest, flexibility, & long-term freedom.

🎓 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐒 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭

KCRA 3's Denzen Cortez shines a light on the growing concern across graduate campuses as 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐒 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

This powerful segment captures the real-world ripple effects — including a 2nd-year pharmacy student who’s “grandfathered in,” yet worried about how future students will afford programs like theirs.

Without equitable, affordable replacements, 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 — 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐥𝐚𝐰, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 — 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, impacting first-generation and low-income students most.

👉 Watch the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrxUp7R_54g

This segment does a great job showing the real-world ripple effects on graduate and professional students — including one 2nd-year pharmacy student who’s “grandfathered in” but worried about how future students will afford programs like hers.

Grad PLUS is being phased out for new borrowers starting July 2026 In a major shake-up for professional students nationwide, Grad PLUS is being phased out for new borrowers starting July 2026. What does that mean for STEM & ...

With federal Grad PLUS loans ending in 2026, your 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.

Learn how to strengthen your credit score, manage debt-to-income ratios, and improve your chances for private graduate loan approval.

✅ Understand what lenders look for
✅ Check your credit reports
✅ Boost your approval odds — even without a cosigner

📘 Read the full guide: https://gradfundingoptions.info/credit-matters-preparing-your-credit-score-for-graduate-school-borrowing/

Credit Matters: Preparing Your Credit Score for Graduate School Borrowing Learn how to improve your credit score, manage debt-to-income, and prepare for private graduate student loan approval after the end of Grad PLUS.

💡 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬—𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

Our latest blog explores hidden resources beyond loans:

✔️ University fellowship databases
✔️ Professional association awards
✔️ Prestigious government programs
✔️ Foundation and diversity fellowships
✔️ Online curated platforms

Whether you’re pursuing a master’s, PhD, JD, or MD, these funding options can lower your reliance on loans and help you focus on academic success.

👉 Read the full guide here:

https://tinyurl.com/4svtxkcs

Graduate Student Scholarships and Fellowships: Hidden Resources Beyond Loans Discover graduate student scholarships and fellowships that go beyond loans. Learn where to find funding options, top resources, and application strategies.

𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 is tough—but your first financial aid offer may not be the last word. ✍️
If your package doesn’t meet your needs, you can 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁for additional support.
We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help you understand the process:
🔗 https://www.gradfundingoptions.info/how-to-appeal-for.../
📚 Whether it’s contacting the financial aid office, working with your department, or drafting an appeal letter, you may have more options than you think.

How to Appeal for More Financial Aid as a Graduate Student This guide walks through how to appeal for more financial aid as a graduate student: who to contact, what documentation to prepare, & how to strengthen the request.

🎓 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒓?

Not all graduate student loans require one — but depending on your credit history, income, and lender requirements, a could impact your eligibility, interest rates, and repayment terms.

Our latest guide breaks down:
✅ When you do need a cosigner
✅ How to qualify for loans without one
✅ Pros and cons of using a cosigner
✅ What “cosigner release” means for your future
👉 Read the full post here: https://www.gradfundingoptions.info/cosigners-and-graduate-student-loans-when-you-need-one-and-when-you-dont/

www.gradfundingoptions.info

🌟 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 🌟

Graduate and professional students are facing a major shift: the 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐒 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. For years, Grad PLUS was the safety net that covered costs beyond the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan limit. Without it, many students will need new strategies to bridge the gap.

That’s why we created 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 — a student-first resource designed to help you navigate funding choices, weigh trade-offs, and plan smarter for your graduate journey.

👉 Read more about the elimination of Grad PLUS and what it means for you:
https://www.gradfundingoptions.info/grad-plus-eliminated/

Follow us here for updates, practical tools, and surveys that give students immediate insights to make attainable, sustainable decisions.

📣 Question for you: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 — 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭?

Federal Grad PLUS Loan Elimination: What Graduate Students Need to Know in 2026 - Grad Funding Options The elimination of Federal Grad PLUS loans marks one of the most significant shifts in graduate and professional student financing in decades. Beginning July 1, 2026, students pursuing advanced degrees—from law and medicine to business and dentistry—will face new federal borrowing limits that co...