Graduate Financial Aid Options

Campus

Fellowships

Many graduate departments offer fellowships to Georgia Tech graduate students. You must be nominated for these awards by your academic department. The Graduate Studies office provides helpful information about fellowships, assistantships, and other payment options.

Paying for Grad School

Federal Direct Loans

Georgia Tech participates in Direct Lending, which provides a streamlined, high-quality, cost-effective, and dependable loan program for students and families. The Federal Direct Loan Program includes the following loans for graduate students:

Graduate Unsubsidized Direct Student Loans
Unsubsidized Loans are federally guaranteed loans that are not based on financial need. Interest accrues from the time the loan is distributed to Georgia Tech. Students are not required to start making payments on this loan until six months after they graduate or drop below half-time. This is known as the “grace period.”

The annual loan limit is $20,500 or up to the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid or resources.

Graduate Direct PLUS Loans
This is a loan option for graduate students to help pay for their educational costs not covered by the unsubsidized loan. Graduate students can borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid the student is receiving. For instance, if the cost of attendance is $30,000 for the year and the student has an unsubsidized loan for $20,500 and a $5,000 fellowship toward the school cost, the student can borrow up to $4,500.

The current interest rate as of July 1, 2020 is a fixed rate of 5.30 percent. Interest rates are set by the Department of Education around July 1 every year and will be updated accordingly at that time on our website.

Please note: credit approval is required for Graduate Direct PLUS loans. The duration of a credit check for Direct Plus Loan applicants is 180 days.

Apply for Federal Loans

Federal Student Debt Relief Plan

For more information on the federal student debt relief plan, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info

Here, you can find information about COVID-19 relief for federal student loans. This relief includes a suspension of loan payments, a 0% interest rate, and stopped collections on defaulted loans.

Private Loans

Many private lending institutions offer loans to students seeking assistance to meet expenses related to attendance at Georgia Tech. There are an increasing number of private loans, and the terms of these loans change frequently.

Apply for Private Loans

Federal Work Study

Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student’s course of study.

At Georgia Tech, FWS is awarded to graduate students who enroll at least half-time and demonstrate financial need. FWS awards generally vary from $600 to $1,500 per semester and are earned during the period of enrollment. Students may work in an on-campus, off-campus, or in a community service position.

Advantages of participating in the FWS program include:

  • The money you earn helps to meet college expenses and will not be counted as income for your financial aid eligibility determination next year.
  • You get on-the-job experience to give you an edge in the job market after graduation.
  • You're able to work with accomplished professionals in their field, which provides you with valuable references in the future.

Apply for FWS

Explore FWS Options