Just for Graduate Students

The first step to receiving financial aid from Cal Poly Humboldt is filling out a Financial Aid Application for every year you are interested in receiving financial assistance.

Funding: Aid is limited for those already holding a bachelor's degree. In addition to unsubsidized loans, master's students may be eligible for a State University Grant if their application is submitted by the priority filing deadline. Federal Work Study may also be an option and is generally awarded to full-time students.  Check with faculty within your department for job availability or visit Humboldt Handshake for a list of all campus jobs. Humboldt Scholarships may also be available, visit our page for more information. Undeclared graduates are generally ineligible.

Federal Direct Loan Annual Limits: Depending on the amount of financial eligibility and the amount of other aid received, a student may annually borrow up to $20,500 of unsubsidized loan or the cost of attendance (whichever is lower) per year of graduate study. If eligibility exceeds the $20,500 available in unsubsidized Direct Loan, additional master's level funding may be available through the graduate Direct PLUS loan program.      

Federal Direct Loan Lifetime Limits: Cumulative graduate loan maximum for master's degree students is $138,500 (excluding graduate PLUS Loans). This includes any Stafford/Direct Loans received as an undergraduate. The total annual and aggregate limits include any Unsubsidized Stafford/Direct Loans; Graduate PLUS Loans are not included in this annual/aggregate limit. If aggregate loan limits are exceeded, you are not eligible for any Federal Title IV assistance until the situation is resolved.

Graduate Direct PLUS Loans are unsubsidized loans available to students enrolled in graduate or professional programs. These loans are available regardless of financial need and the amount of eligibility depends on the total cost of education. A credit check is required. Some Humboldt master's students will meet their cost of attendance by borrowing through the Unsubsidized Direct Loan with better interest rates and repayment terms; if these loans are insufficient to cover your cost of attendance, please review the Direct PLUS Loan program.

Second Bachelor's: Students pursuing another degree are only eligible for loans at undergraduate levels.

Certificate Programs: A Financial Aid Counselor must determine if the post-baccalaureate certificate program meets eligibility criteria for student aid.

More Important Information

Enrollment: Full-time enrollment for a graduate student enrolled in a master's program is nine (9) units, half-time enrollment is five (5) units. For those pursuing a second BA/BS is twelve (12) units, and half-time is six (6) units.

Unit Cap: When students have attempted 50 or more semester units, they are generally no longer eligible to receive financial aid.

SAP: Satisfactory Academic Progress is applicable to graduate students, visit our page for more information on our SAP policy. Note: Only the maximum number of thesis/project units allowed towards completion requirements for your master's degree will be counted towards satisfactory academic progress.