Parent PLUS Gap Calculator | Parent PLUS Calculator

Estimate your Parent PLUS gap

Use per-year figures from your financial aid offer. Results update as you type.

Cost of attendance per year

The school’s full published cost: tuition, fees, housing, food, books, travel.

Grants and scholarships per year

Free money only. Do not include loans or work-study.

Family pays per year (savings, income, 529)

What you can pay without borrowing.

Student’s year in schoolIn the first school year you plan below.

First school year to plan

Years left to pay for

Student’s own federal Direct Loan

Maximum ($5,500 / $6,500 / $7,500) None Custom amount

Dependent undergraduate limits by year in school, unchanged by the 2025 law.

Parent PLUS already borrowed for this student

All parents, all schools, including loans from before July 2026 and loans already paid off.

Legacy rule: was the student enrolled in this program on June 30, 2026, with a federal Direct Loan (the student’s own or a Parent PLUS) disbursed for it before July 1, 2026?

No Yes

Not sure? Use the legacy checker.

Two parents plan to borrow Parent PLUS for this student

Assumptions: cost increases, fee, rate, other loans

Yearly cost increase (%)Applied to cost of attendance after the first year.

Origination fee (%)Set for loans first disbursed Oct 1, 2026 – Sept 30, 2027.

Interest rate (%)Fixed rate for loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.

Other federal Direct Loans you owe

Only used to pick your repayment term.

Borrow extra to cover the origination fee (up to the caps)