How Much Can I Borrow in Loans?  (Do-It-Yourself Estimate)

In order to determine how much a student can qualify for in Stafford and Grad Plus loans the Financial Aid Office must calculate eligibility or total amount you can procure in loans.  The school does so by completing a rather complicated Cost of Attendance (COA).  

Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of how much money will be required to attend school in terms of tuition and fees for one year but also includes all reasonable expenses during your attendance at TLS.  Reasonable expenses include books, transportation, housing, food, and miscellaneous expenses you will incur during your education.

In short: If you complete your a Loan Eligibility Worksheet you will be able to see how much you qualify in Stafford Loans and Grad Plus Loans THEN move on and request the correct amount from you lender of choice.  

Before You Begin

In order to complete this estimate you need the following items:

1. Unit Load Projection:  You will need to provide a projected number of units you will be taking during the Fall, Spring, Summer seasons in 2008/2009 school year.
2. Estimated Family Contribution (EFC):   You can only get this info once you have completed your FAFSA.  About 2-3 weeks after you complete your FAFSA on the Web you should or will have received your Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR summarizes the information you provided on the FAFSA, and will indicate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).  This is the amount calculated by the federal government (based on the student's and family's income, number of family members, number of college student(s), etc) that the family is expected to be able to pay towards educational expenses over a year's enrollment.
3. Scholarship amount: If you have been awarded a scholarship when accepted to Trinity you will be asked to include the annual award amount.

Ready to Calculate:   Loan Eligibility Worksheet (Excel)