Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans
Office of Financial Aid
Federal loan programs
Federal direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans are fixed-interest loans made to students enrolled at least half-time. Repayment begins six months after graduating or ending half-time enrollment. Interest on federal direct subsidized loans does not accrue while in school half-time. Interest on federal direct unsubsidized loans begins accruing upon disbursement.
All eligible students may apply for the Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan for up to the amount shown on their financial aid offer.
How to apply
1. Request loan amount
Request your Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan amount online through Hamline's WorkDay by following the steps below:
- Log into your Workday account and select the Finances icon
- Select Accept/Decline Award found in the bottom right:
- Complete Academic Unit as Hamline University
- Choose Award Aid Year
- Decide how much of your Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan you wish to borrow for the academic year:
- Under the Decision field, select Accept, Accept Partial, or Decline. This must be done for all terms displayed.
- If you select Accept Partial, you will need to indicate the dollar amount that you would like to accept. Keep in mind that you will need to accept the same dollar amount in each academic term listed. Any eligibility not accepted here will be repackaged in an Offered Status at a later date, if you wish.
- Select "Done"
- Do not make an online adjustment to a loan that you have previously accepted, as this may inadvertently reduce your loan differently than expected
- If you would like to reduce the loan amount that you have accepted for the fall 2025 term or later, please complete the 2025/26 loan revision request form
2. Complete a master promissory note
First time Hamline borrowers must complete a new MPN on studentaid.gov. You will need your FSA ID to sign in and complete the MPN. Please pay attention to the different types of loan MPNs.
3. Entrance counseling
First-time borrowers must complete a Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan Entrance Counseling online. The average Hamline Undergraduate student Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan debt is $23,829. The average Hamline Master and Doctorate student Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan debt is $29,573. You may use the Loan Simulator on studentaid.gov to determine your estimated loan payments.
4. Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement (OPTIONAL)
The Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement is for student and parent borrowers who are accepting Federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans, PLUS Loans for Parents, or PLUS Loans for Graduate/Professional Students. It will take around 10 minutes to complete the Acknowledgement. Within the Annual Student Loan. Borrowers can view how much they currently owe in loans, their progress toward aggregate loan and grant limits (if applicable), and access content surrounding smart borrowing, interest rates, and payments.
In order to fill out the Acknowledgement, you will need your Verified FSA ID.
If this is your first time accepting a federal student loan, you are acknowledging that you understand your responsibility to repay your loan. You will also need to know the school name, the degree name, and the field of academic program.
If you already have existing federal student loans, you are acknowledging that you understand how much you owe and how much more you can borrow.
Loan fees
The loan fee is a processing fee the lender takes out from the loan prior to each disbursement sent to Hamline. For loans with a first disbursement paid to Hamline between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2025, the fee is 1.057% of the amount requested.
Subsidized* versus unsubsidized
Loan limits
Year |
Dependent undergraduate* students |
Independent undergraduate* students |
Master, graduate certificates, and doctorate students |
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | $5,500 including a max of $3,500 in subsidized** | $9,500 including a max of $3,500 in subsidized** | $20,500 unsubsidized |
| Second year | $6,500 including a max of $4,500 in subsidized** | $10,500 including a max of $4,500 in subsidized** | $20,500 unsubsidized |
| Third year and each year after*** | $7,500 including a max of $5,500 in subsidized** | $12,500 including a max of $5,500 in subsidized** | $20,500 unsubsidized |
| Subsidized**/unsubsidized loan lifetime limits |
$31,000 including a max of $23,000 in subsidized** | $57,500 including a max of $23,000 in subsidized** |
$138,500 including a max of $65,500 in subsidized The graduate debt limit INCLUDES loans received from undergrad. |
*Online bachelor's degree completion follow the undergraduate aggregate loan limits
**Time limitation (150%): Students can only receive subsidized loans for 150% of the published length of the borrower's educational program (assuming the borrower hasn't reached their annual or aggregate limit listed above). For example, a student in a four year program can only receive subsidized loans for six years at most. Please view this on the Federal Student Aid website for more information.
***Post-baccalaureate students, including initial teaching licensure not in the MAT program, follow the undergraduate loan limits for third year.
To learn more about student loan repayment, please visit the Make a Student Loan Payment page under the "Manage Loans" tab on StudentAid.gov.
