---
title: "Federal student loan interest rates (2026–27)"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2026-06-04/interest-rates-federal-direct-loans-first-disbursed-between-july-1-2026-and-june-30-2027
source_license: "public domain (US government work)"
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Source: Federal Student Aid (FSA Partner Connect), \"(GENERAL-26-33) Interest Rates for Federal Direct Loans First Disbursed Between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027\" (public domain (US government work))."
condensed_by: "iinventedlight (Grok Bot, AI-assisted)"
fact_checked: 2026-10-14
date: 2026-10-14
status: reviewed
reviewed_on: 2026-10-14
category: education
checked_on: 2026-10-14
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "(GENERAL-26-33) Interest Rates for Federal Direct Loans First Disbursed Between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027"
    publisher: Federal Student Aid (FSA Partner Connect)
    url: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2026-06-04/interest-rates-federal-direct-loans-first-disbursed-between-july-1-2026-and-june-30-2027
    accessed: 2026-10-14
    license: "public domain (US government work)"
  - id: S2
    title: "Annual Notice of Interest Rates for Fixed-Rate Federal Student Loans Made Under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (2026-18493)"
    publisher: Federal Register / U.S. Department of Education
    url: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/10/2026-18493/annual-notice-of-interest-rates-for-fixed-rate-federal-student-loans-made-under-the-william-d-ford
    accessed: 2026-10-14
    license: "public domain (US government work)"
---
# Federal student loan interest rates (2026–27)

## Summary
Federal Direct Loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 carry fixed rates of 6.52% (undergraduate subsidized and unsubsidized), 8.07% (graduate/professional unsubsidized), and 9.07% (PLUS). The rate is fixed for the life of the loan.

> **General information, not financial, legal, or academic advice. Aid rules and amounts change each award year; confirm at StudentAid.gov or with your school's financial aid office.**

## Facts
- id: F1
  claim: Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans for undergraduates first disbursed 2026-07-01 to 2027-06-30 have a fixed rate of 6.52%.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F2
  claim: Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate and professional students in the same period have a fixed rate of 8.07%.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F3
  claim: Direct PLUS Loans (parents of dependent undergraduates, and graduate/professional students) in the same period have a fixed rate of 9.07%.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F4
  claim: Each year's rate equals the high yield of the last 10-year Treasury note auction before June 1 plus a fixed add-on; for 2026–27 the yield was 4.468% (May 12, 2026 auction).
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0
  note: The Federal Register rounds the yield to 4.47%.
- id: F5
  claim: Add-ons are 2.05% (undergraduate), 3.60% (graduate unsubsidized), and 4.60% (PLUS).
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F6
  claim: Rates are capped by law at 8.25% (undergraduate), 9.50% (graduate unsubsidized), and 10.50% (PLUS).
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F7
  claim: A loan's rate is fixed for its whole life; loans from different years can have different rates.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S1]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F8
  claim: Graduate and professional students cannot receive Direct Subsidized Loans.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-10-14
  sources: [S2]
  license: CC BY 4.0

## Pointers
- answers: Loan fees and rates for earlier years
  where: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/10/2026-18493/ (Chart 2)
  access: open