What's New?

Pell Grant eligibility may be reduced in the following instances:

• Grants & Scholarships cover the Cost of Attendance.
• If your Student Aid Index (SAI) is twice the amount of the maximum Pell Grant award (which is $7,395), you no longer have eligibility.

Current annual borrowing limits for undergraduate dependent and independent students remain the same, they can be viewed here.

Current aggregate borrowing limits for undergraduate dependent and independent students remain the same, they can be viewed here.

Dependent students admitted after July 1, 2026 will have an annual cap of $20,000 with an aggregate limit of $65,000.

Legacy Students:

• A legacy student is someone who meets the following criteria:
  • They are a student enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) in their current program prior to July 1, 2026
  • and borrowed a Federal Parent PLUS Loan prior to July 1, 2026.
• These borrowers can continue to utilize Federal Parent PLUS loans up to the Cost of Attendance (COA) with no cap or aggregate limit for up to 3 additional years or until they complete their current program, whichever comes first.
  • If enrollment is broken at any time, legacy privileges are lost for good unless the student is on approved official Leave of Absence (LOA). 

• Public Law 119-21 defines a “professional student” as a student enrolled in a program of study that awards a degree that signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree.
• Professional licensure is also generally required.
• A list of professional degrees can be found in the Public Law 119-21 link provided (See page 6 on Loan Limits from Contents page).

New Annual Borrowing limits for Graduate/Professional programs for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan program:

New Lifetime Aggregate limits for the Federal Direct Loans programs:

Options will be eliminated if you are not a professional student and/or you haven’t borrowed a Federal Graduate PLUS loan through your current program prior to July 1, 2026.

Legacy Students:

• A legacy student is someone who meets the following criteria:
  • They are a student enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) in their current program prior to July 1, 2026
  • and borrowed a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan prior to July 1, 2026.
• These borrowers can continue to utilize Federal Graduate PLUS loans up to the Cost of Attendance (COA) with no cap or aggregate limit for up to 3 additional years or until they complete their current program, whichever comes first.
  • If enrollment is broken at any time, legacy privileges are lost for good unless the student is on approved official Leave of Absence (LOA). 

Effective July 1, 2026, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans will be prorated based on the number of credits a student is taking per semester.

• If students are enrolled full time per Fall & Spring semester (F/S), they will be eligible for up to 50% of the annual amount for each semester.
• If students are enrolled less than full time, loans must be prorated and reduced based on the number of credits the student is actively enrolled in.
  • Students can no longer get their full loan eligibility for the semester, if not enrolled full-time.
  • Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits to be eligible for federal loans.
• If a student drops below full-time enrollment after loans have disbursed during the Fall semester, the Spring semester loan will be reduced to reflect the Fall enrollment amount.
  • If the student does not return for the Spring semester, the Fall loans will be retroactively reduced to reflect the Fall enrollment amount which could potentially generate a balance due for the Fall semester.
• If enrollment drops below full-time status during the Spring semester after loans have disbursed, the Spring semester loans will be reduced based on the number of credits the student is actively enrolled for which could generate a balance due for the Spring semester.
• Students cannot receive the full annual amount of federal loans in a single semester; loan amounts will be prorated based on the number of credits enrolled.
• Students must remain enrolled in at least half-time status (6 credits) at any given time to maintain Federal loan eligibility. 
  • If enrollment drops below half-time after a loan has disbursed, you will lose federal loan eligibility and your loan will be cancelled. 
  • In this case, students will need to seek other funding options to cover any outstanding balance.

PLEASE SPEAK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE BEFORE YOU CHANGE ENROLLMENT IF YOUR LOANS HAVE ALREADY DISBURSED.

• Assistance with additional funding options through alternative/private lenders can be found on our Alternative Loans page at FastChoice.

• 10 years for a total principal balance of less than $25,000
• 15 years for a total principal balance of at least $25,000 and less than $50,000
• 20 years for a total principal balance of at least $50,000 and less than $100,000; and
• 25 years for a total principal balance of $100,000 or more.