Can undocumented students get loans for graduate school?

This page is general information, not legal or financial advice.

Can I get federal student loans?

No. Federal Student Aid says undocumented students, including DACA students, cannot get federal student aid. That includes the federal loans most graduate students use. Do not file the FAFSA with a false status or a borrowed Social Security number to get them.

So you need a different plan. The good news: you will not be the first to make one, and there are people whose job is to help you.

What is the Dreamers Graduate Loan?

Social Finance, a nonprofit, runs the Dreamers Graduate Loan Program for graduate students with DACA or TPS. Here is what its page says today:

• Who: students with active DACA or TPS, enrolled at least half time in an eligible degree at an eligible school. TheDream.US, which posts the full rules, says your status must be active when you sign, you must live in an eligible state, and it lists the states that are not eligible. Check that list and the school list before you count on it.
• Cost: the interest rate is based on the rate for federal Direct PLUS loans. You get 0.25 percent off if you sign up for automatic payments.
• No fees to take out the loan, no cosigner, no minimum credit score.
• Limits: funding is limited, and terms can change without notice.
• Timing: the 2026 to 2027 application was expected to open in mid May 2026. No 2027 to 2028 date was posted on October 21, 2026. Apply as soon as the next window opens.

Questions about eligibility go to dreamersgradloan@socialfinance.org. Questions about the application go to the loan company it works with, Funding U, at dreamers@funding-u.com.

A loan is still debt. Before you sign, ask the yearly interest rate, when payments start and what happens if you lose DACA or TPS.

Can I get a California Dream Loan for grad school?

Yes, at UC and Cal State campuses that take part. State law has opened the Dream Loan to graduate students since the 2020 to 2021 school year (Education Code 70033). To qualify, you must:

• Have the AB 540 in state tuition exemption (or meet UC's matching rules)
• File the California Dream Act Application
• Be enrolled at least half time in a state supported graduate or professional degree program
• Show financial need and keep up good grades
• Not be in default on certain student loans

How much: the law allows up to $20,500 a year and $118,500 total for graduate study (Education Code 70034). Undergraduates get up to $4,000 a year and $20,000 total. Funding is limited, so your campus may offer less. Ask.

Cost: the interest rate matches the federal undergraduate Direct Loan rate. No interest builds while you are enrolled at least half time or during the six month grace period after you leave.

Do I also get in state tuition? If you qualify for AB 540, yes. The law has no undergraduate only limit, and UC San Diego's Graduate Division says AB 540 students pay in state tuition instead of the nonresident charge. UC professional programs, such as law, also charge Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition. UC's 2026 to 2027 fee schedule says students exempt from the nonresident charge pay the resident rate of that fee. See Who qualifies for in state tuition.

What if I have no DACA or TPS?

Your choices are smaller, but not zero.

• Ask each school directly. Many graduate programs have their own grants and fellowships, and some do not ask about status. A school that wants you may find money for you.
• Look for scholarships and fellowships that do not require citizenship. Start with What scholarships exist for Dreamers in grad school?
• Private loans. Some private lenders work with students who are not citizens. Before you apply, ask each lender: Do you need a Social Security number? Do I need a cosigner, and must that person be a citizen or green card holder? Read every term and compare it to the Dream Loan and the Dreamers loan above.
• Never pay someone who promises a loan or scholarship for a fee. See Warning signs of an immigration scam.

Can a teaching or research job pay my way?

Many graduate students pay for school with assistant jobs that come with pay and a tuition break. Those are jobs, so they usually need work permission. If you have DACA, your work permit can let you take them. If you do not, ask the school how the money is paid before you say yes. See What is the difference between a scholarship and a fellowship?

How do I compare loan offers?

Line up every offer on one sheet before you sign. Ask each lender the same five questions:

1. What is the yearly interest rate, and is it fixed or can it change?
2. Are there fees to take out the loan?
3. When do payments start, and how much will they be each month?
4. What happens if I lose DACA or TPS, or my work permit ends?
5. Can I pause payments if I lose my job or go back to school?

Example (fictional, to show the steps): Maria has AB 540 and DACA and is admitted to a two year master's program at a Cal State campus. She files the California Dream Act Application in October. Her aid offer lists a campus grant and a Dream Loan. She still has a gap of a few thousand dollars, so she checks the Dreamers Graduate Loan rules and applies when the window opens. Before she signs, she asks both programs the five questions above and borrows only the gap.

What should I do this month?

1. List the graduate schools you want and their aid deadlines.
2. Email each graduate aid office the question in the box at the top.
3. File the California Dream Act Application if you will study at UC or Cal State. The 2027 to 2028 deadline for state aid is March 2, 2027 (CSAC, checked October 21, 2026), and graduate aid offices often set their own dates.
4. If you have DACA or TPS, check the Dreamers Graduate Loan rules and save the next opening date.
5. Apply for every fellowship you qualify for before you borrow.

Who can help?

These are free. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• The graduate financial aid office and Dream Resource Center at your school.
• California Student Aid Commission: questions about the California Dream Act Application. Call (888) 224-7268 or email studentsupport@csac.ca.gov.
• Social Finance: Dreamers Graduate Loan rules, at dreamersgradloan@socialfinance.org.
• Free legal help if a job offer depends on your status: Where can college students get free immigration legal help?

You made it through college. You can find a way through this too, one call at a time.

Related questions

• What scholarships exist for Dreamers in grad school?
• Can undocumented students get state financial aid?
• What is the difference between a scholarship and a fellowship?