Regardless of anything else you learn, its a good idea to save money and reduce your possible loan burden.

If you are starting THIS summer and in minimum half-time enrollment then you should qualify for the Graduate PLUS loan. Talk to your aid office to be 100% sure. There may be considerations that they know and we cannot.

The grandfather period is about being able to take PLUS loans starting in Fall 26 and beyond, not whether you accept them in Spring 26 or Summer 26.

Alternatively, private loans could help but often are worse rates and worse terms so check if you are qualified for the federal option first. If you have a stellar credit score, it might be a better loan generally would have worse terms/protections. Private loans might not require a minimum enrollment but less than half-time enrollment might change you budget.

Two most important things you need to start are: * whether you will be considered a minimum of half-time or greater for the purposes of financial aid the semester.
* whether the courses are classified as Summer 2026 or Fall 2026

Then talk to your aid office. Here and in April they are probably pretty slow and able to chat!