Santa Clara University Aid
The Financial Aid Office does not determine graduate school scholarships, fellowships or grants. You should contact your graduate school for information about how to apply for your graduate school's scholarships, fellowships and grants.
Biden-Harris Administration's Student Debt Relief Plan
The U.S. Department of Education have announced a three-part plan to help working and middle-class federal student loan borrowers.
Part 1: Final extension of the student loan repayment pause. The Department of Education is reducing interest rates to 0% and suspending payments on all Federal Direct Stafford Loans until December 31, 2022. Payments will resume in January 2023. No action is needed on your part, the extended pause will occur automatically.
Part 2: Providing targeted debt relief to low and middle income families. The U.S. Department of Education will provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Pell Grant recipients with loans held by the Department of Education and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients. Borrowers are eligible for this relief if their individual income is less than $125,000 or $250,000 for households.
- To be eligible your annual income must have fallen below the threshold above
- If you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. Not sure if you received Pell Grant? Click here for instructions on how to verify.
- If you did not receive Pell Grant and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $10,000 in debt cancellation.
- Please note that your relief is capped at the amount of your outstanding debt. For example: if you are eligible for $20,000 in debt relief, but have a balance of $15,000 remaining, you will only receive $15,000 in relief.
The Administration will launch a simple application in the coming weeks. If you would like to be notified by the U.S Department of Education when the application is open, please sign up at the Department of Education subscription page.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program forgives the remaining balance on your federal student loans after 120 payments working full-time for federal, state, Tribal, or local government; military; or a qualifying non-profit. Temporary changes, ending on Oct 31, 2022, provide flexibility that makes it easier than ever to receive forgiveness by allowing borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.
Part 3: Make the student loan system more manageable for current and future borrowers. The Administration is proposing a rule to create a new income-driven repayment plan that will substantially reduce future monthly payments for lower and middle income borrowers. The rule would:
- Require borrowers to pay no more than 5% of their discretionary income monthly on undergraduate loans
- Raise the amount of income that is considered non-discretionary income and therefore is protected from repayment
- Forgive loan balances after 10 years of payments
- Cover the borrower's unpaid monthly interest
Federal Aid
The Financial Aid Office offers federal grants, student employment and federal loans to graduate students.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH Grant) program provides a federal grant to post-baccalaureate and graduate students who agree to serve for at least four years as full-time teachers in high-need fields in public or not-for-profit private elementary or secondary schools that serve students from low-income families.
- Non need-based
- FAFSA required
- Studying in a designated high-need field when receiving the grant
- Meet certain academic requirements
- Complete TEACH Grant counseling and sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve
NOTE: If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to an unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant was disbursed and will need to pay back interest as well as accruing interest for the rest of your repayment period.
Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study allows graduate students to earn money to help cover non-billable educational expenses by working at Santa Clara University or at authorized nonprofit organizations. For more information, view our Federal Work-Study Employment Information Guide.
- Need-based
- FAFSA required
Golden State Teacher Grant
Students who are planning to earn a credential in a high-need field and who commit to teach at a priority school, as deemed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), may qualify to receive a Golden State Teacher Grant (GSTG) of up to $20,000.
For more information about the program, including how to apply, visit the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).
Federal Direct Loan
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program provides low-interest loans for graduate students to help pay for their educational expenses.
- Non need-based
- FAFSA required
- Must be enrolled at least half-time
- 5.28% interest rate for 2021-2022
- 6.54% interest rate for 2022-2023
- 1.057% origination fee for loans with a first disbursement date on or after October 1, 2020 and before October 1, 2023
- Unsubsidized
- 6-month grace period before repayment
- Must complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN)
Graduate Federal Direct Loan Limits
- $20,500 annual borrowing limit
- $138,500 maximum aggregate borrowing limit
IMPORTANT: When considering borrowing a federal student loan, you should also understand repayment options.
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan provides an additional borrowing option for graduate students.
- Non need-based
- FAFSA required as well as a credit check
- Must be enrolled at least half-time
- 6.28% interest rate for 2021-2022
- 7.54% interest rate for 2022-2023
- 4.228% origination fee for loans with a first disbursement date on or after October 1, 2020 and before October 1, 2023
- Unsubsidized
- Must complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN)
After you completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and received a Financial Aid award from the Financial Aid Office, you may apply for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan at StudentAid.gov.
NOTE: If you are denied a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan due to credit issues, you have the following options:
- You may be approved with an endorser (co-signer)
- You may appeal the credit decision directly with the Direct Loan Department at StudentAid.gov or by calling 1-800-557-7394.
IMPORTANT: When considering borrowing a federal student loan, you should also understand repayment options.
Private Aid
Private Scholarships
In addition to Santa Clara University, there are plenty of scholarships sponsored by corporations, civic organizations, religious organizations and other groups.
NOTE: If you have been awarded a scholarship from an outside organization, please provide the donor with our contact information. All correspondences and scholarship checks should be sent to the Financial Aid Office.
Private Educational Loans
Private Educational Loans allow graduate students who have exhausted or who are ineligible for federal aid an alternate means of borrowing to help pay for their educational expenses.
Private loan providers have their own application and repayment terms, you should review all terms and disclosures before applying for one of these credit-based loan alternatives.
As you are considering financial aid programs, you may want to learn how to apply for financial aid, how we determine financial aid, the costs and other consumer information.