Undergraduate > Graduate Loans

Ult2011
Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:22:33 +0000

Hey everyone,

Recently I made a thread concerning Early Decision and FA. Sorry for not posting this in there - but I feel like this question is enough to warrant a new thread.

I’ve heard many stories about how an undergraduate can accumulate “too much” in student loans. I’ve also heard other stories about how taking out too much in undergrad loans can prevent a student from attending graduate school due to an obscure “cap”.

All the research I’ve done on this issue doesn’t seem to support that idea. While I’ve seen that there is indeed a “cap” on student loans, it seems that the “cap” on undergraduate loans and the “cap” on graduate school loans are distinctly two different caps. What I’m wondering is whether or not one “cap” influences the other.

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to pursue a graduate degree when I get to that age. I’m only a rising senior in HS now, but it is indeed a goal that I have. I just want to make sure that I’ll be able to take out the loans that I need to pay for graduate school even if I have undergraduate loans already. A graduate degree is likely something that would likely put me in a position to pay off all of those loans more effectively afterward.

Can anyone clarify this for me - and perhaps help me understand the nature of student loans in general?

Let me know if I need to provide more information.