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Unsubsidized Loan

How Direct Unsubsidized Loans work, the 2026-27 rates, the new graduate and professional limits, and a calculator for interest that builds up in school.

Updated November 4, 2026. Free, no sign-up; everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is stored.

Unsubsidized loan interest calculator

Amount borrowed ($)Loan type (2026-27)Months from disbursement to repayment

10-year payment

–

–Interest that builds up before repayment

–Balance at repayment if interest is capitalized

–Loan fee taken out (1.057%)

How an unsubsidized loan works

Direct Unsubsidized Loans aren't based on financial need, and interest starts building from the day the money is paid out, including while you're in school and during the six-month grace period. You can pay that interest as you go; unpaid interest may be added to your balance when repayment starts. For 2026-27 the fixed rates are 6.52% for undergraduates and 8.07% for graduate and professional students, with a 1.057% loan fee.

Loan limits from July 1, 2026

Under the 2025 budget law (OBBBA), for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026:

Graduate students: up to $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total.
Professional students (such as medicine, law, dentistry): up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total. Which programs count as professional has been challenged in court, and the Department of Education is using an interim list.
A lifetime cap of $257,500 across all federal student loans.
Grad PLUS loans end for new borrowers; students already in a program with a loan before July 1, 2026 can keep borrowing under the old rules for up to three years.

Undergraduate limits are unchanged: dependent students can borrow $5,500, $6,500 and $7,500 a year in total subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Compare with a subsidized loan.

Common questions

What is the interest rate on unsubsidized loans for 2026-27?

6.52% for undergraduates and 8.07% for graduate and professional students.

What are the new graduate loan limits?

From July 1, 2026, $20,500 a year and $100,000 total for graduate students; $50,000 and $200,000 for professional students.

Does interest accrue on unsubsidized loans while in school?

Yes, from the date of disbursement.

Sources

More loan and car calculators: Teacher Loan Forgiveness · APR Calculator & APY Calculator · Car Payment Calculator

General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Check important numbers with the official source before acting on them.