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Before accepting a student loan, know how much you can borrow and what borrowing will cost.
Your loan amount may depend on:
The amounts listed on this page are maximums. Your actual loan offer may be lower.
Students are allowed to borrow a limited amount from the government each year. The amount is based on your grade level in school. Students are generally considered first-year or second-year undergraduate students based on the number of credits they have completed. A first-year, or freshman, student has earned 0-29 credits. A second-year, or sophomore, student has earned 30-59 credits.
For students enrolled full time (12+ credit hours), these are the maximum annual Direct Loan limits available to CCC students.
| Grade Level | Dependent Student | Independent Student |
| First Year - 0 to 29 credits | Up to $5,500 total. No more than $3,500 may be subsidized. | Up to $9,500 total. No more than $3,500 may be subsidized. |
| Second Year - 30+ credits | Up to $6,500 total. No more than $4,500 may be subsidized. | Up to $10,500 total. No more than $4,500 may be subsidized. |
The subsidized amount is part of the total limit, not an additional amount.
How much of your loan can be subsidized depends on your financial need. Any remaining amount you qualify to borrow may be offered as an unsubsidized loan.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduced major changes to federal student aid programs. Beginning with the 2026–27 award year, federal rules require Direct Loan limits to be reduced when a student is enrolled less than full-time. This is called the Schedule of Reductions.
Your annual loan limit is based on your enrollment across the academic year, not simply whether you reached 6 credits during one semester. The new rules mean that CCC needs to look at your enrollment across more than one semester when determining how much you can receive.
For example, consider a first-year dependent student whose full annual limit is $5,500.
If the student takes:
These examples show how the loan amount changes with a student’s enrollment. The reduction is proportional. This means that the number of credits you take affects the percentage of your annual loan limit you can receive. Your actual eligibility and amount will be different based on your enrollment pattern, financial need, cost of attendance, other aid, and previous borrowing.
If your enrollment changes during the academic year, CCC may need to review your loan again before a later payment. A future or unpaid portion of your loan may be reduced based on your updated enrollment.
A loan payment that was correct when it was made is not automatically taken back just because you later move from full-time to part-time enrollment. However, your change in enrollment may affect money that has not yet been paid. Federal rules require schools to review the student’s annual loan eligibility before later disbursements.
| Enrollment Change | What May Happen |
| You take 6 to 11 eligible credits | You may still receive a Direct Loan, but your annual loan limit may be reduced. |
| You drop below 6 eligible credits | You are no longer enrolled at least half- time. You cannot receive a Direct Loan disbursement while below half-time, and unpaid loan funds may be canceled. |
| You drop or withdraw from a class | Your annual loan eligibility may need to be reviewed. A later loan payment may be reduced. |
| You do not begin attendance or participation in a class | The class cannot be counted toward your financial aid enrollment. Your aid may be reduced or canceled. |
| You withdraw from all classes | Federal withdrawal rules may require CCC to return some of your federal aid. This could leave you with a balance owed to CCC. |
CCC also reduces or cancels financial aid when a student does not attend an in-person class or participate in an online course. Contact Financial Aid before dropping or withdrawing from classes if you have a student loan.
Being registered for enough credits is not always enough. To count toward your financial aid enrollment, your courses generally must apply to your CCC degree or certificate.
For example:
You are registered for 9 credits, but only 4 credits count toward your program. For financial aid purposes, you are enrolled in only 4 eligible credits. Because Direct Loans require at least 6 eligible credits, you would not qualify for a student loan based on that enrollment.
CCC uses your program requirements to determine which courses qualify. You can also check DegreeWorks or meet with an Academic Advisor if you are unsure whether a course applies to your program.
Your annual Direct Loan limit applies across the academic year. CCC’s annual loan limits include Fall, Spring, and Summer. If you use all of your available annual loan amount during Fall and Spring, you may not have loan eligibility left for summer.
If you plan to take summer classes, consider this before accepting the full amount offered earlier in the year.
Some loans may cover only one semester or a shorter part of an academic year. Additional federal loan-limit rules may apply when:
These rules are different from the Schedule of Reductions for part-time enrollment. CCC Financial Aid will calculate the maximum amount you can receive based on your loan period and enrollment.
Federal rules also limit how much you can borrow during your entire undergraduate education.
These limits include eligible Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans you borrowed at CCC and at other schools. Some dependent students whose parents cannot obtain a Parent PLUS Loan may qualify for additional Direct Unsubsidized Loan funds.
Interest is the cost of borrowing money. Federal Direct Loan interest rates are set each year. The rate for each loan is based on when that loan is first paid out. Once your loan is made, its interest rate is fixed, or stays the same, for the life of that loan.
For undergraduate Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans first paid out on or after July 1, 2026, and before July 1, 2027, the fixed interest rate is:
A loan you borrowed in another year may have a different interest rate.
Federal Direct Loans also have a loan origination fee. The origination fee is a percentage of the amount you borrow. The U.S. Department of Education takes the fee out before your loan money is sent to CCC. This means the amount CCC receives is slightly less than the amount you borrowed.
You are still responsible for repaying the full amount you borrowed, plus any interest that applies.
For Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans first paid out on or after October 1, 2020, the current origination fee is:
The fee is taken proportionally from each loan payment.
If you borrow $5,500:
Loan fees can change. Check Federal Student Aid for the current fee before borrowing.
A Parent PLUS Loan is borrowed by the parent of a dependent undergraduate student. The parent, not the student, is responsible for repaying the loan.
For periods of enrollment beginning on or after July 1, 2026, all parents combined may generally borrow up to:
A Parent PLUS Loan also cannot cause the student’s total financial aid to exceed the student’s cost of attendance. The cost of attendance is the total amount completing one full academic year of school for a full-time student. It includes costs such as tuition, fees, supplies, housing, and food.
A limited exception may apply to some students who were already enrolled in the same program and had a qualifying Direct Loan made for that program before July 1, 2026. Different borrowing limits may apply during the student’s expected time to complete that program.
Contact CCC Financial Aid if you think this exception applies to your family.
Parent PLUS Loans have a different interest rate and a higher origination fee than Direct Loans borrowed by students. The interest rate is fixed for the life of each loan, but rates for new loans are set each year. Because rates and fees can change, parents should review the current information on StudentAid.gov before borrowing.
Parent PLUS Loans require a credit check. If a parent is unable to obtain a PLUS Loan because of a low credit score, the parent may have federal options for continuing the application. The dependent student may also qualify for additional Direct Unsubsidized Loan funds.
Contact CCC Financial Aid to find out what applies to your situation.
Adding, dropping, withdrawing from, or not attending a class can affect how much you are allowed to borrow.
Before changing your classes:
Federal loan limits set the most you may be allowed to borrow. They do not guarantee that amount.
CCC must determine your actual eligibility based on your:
Review your financial aid offer in myCCC for the amount available to you.
Ready to apply for or accept a loan?
Already borrowed?
Student LoansManaging & Repaying Your LoansContact CCC Financial Aid if you have questions about your loan limit, enrollment, interest, fees, or Parent PLUS eligibility.
Phone: (928) 226-4219
Email: financial.aid@coconino.edu
The amounts shown are federal maximums. Your actual loan may be lower based on your enrollment, financial need, cost of attendance, other financial aid, and how much you have already borrowed.
Beginning with the 2026–27 award year, your annual loan limit may also be reduced if you are enrolled less than full-time.
Yes, as long as you are enrolled and attending at least 6 eligible credits and meet the other federal loan requirements.
However, beginning with the 2026–27 award year, students enrolled less than full-time may have their annual loan limit reduced based on their enrollment.
Maybe not. Your annual Direct Loan limit applies to the full academic year, including fall, spring, and summer. If you use your full annual limit before summer, you may not have additional Direct Loan eligibility left for summer classes.
If you plan to attend summer, consider that before accepting the maximum amount earlier in the year.
Federal Direct Loans have an origination fee. The U.S. Department of Education takes this fee out before the loan funds are sent to CCC.
You are still responsible for repaying the full amount you borrowed, even though the amount applied to your account is slightly lower.
No. The subsidized limit is part of your total annual loan limit. For example, a first-year dependent student may qualify for up to $5,500 total, but no more than $3,500 of that amount may be subsidized. How much you actually receive as a subsidized loan depends on your financial need.
ign in to StudentAid.gov to review your federal student loan history and current federal loan balances. Loans you borrowed at other schools also count toward your federal lifetime loan limits.
