Graduate Education
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Term Structure

Gordon has recently implemented a new term system for the Graduate Education program, allowing graduate students to now qualify for Federal Stafford Loans.

The terms are:

Summer/Fall Term includes all classes from July–December
Winter/Spring Term includes all classes from January-June

Loan and Enrollment Status
To qualify for Federal Stafford Loans, students must be enrolled at least half-time. Enrollment status will be determined by the total number of credits a student is registered for within the term.
  Credit Load Enrollment Status
  1–4 credits Part-time
  4.5–8 credits Half-time
  9 credits or more Full-time

Within each term, we will have two sessions of classes:
Summer/Fall Term (July—December) 

  • Summer session—classes from July–August
  • Fall session—classes from September—December

Winter/Spring Term (January—June)

  • Winter session—classes from January–March
  • Spring session—classes from April—June

What This Means for You
There are now several ways that you can reach the half-time status mark and potentially qualify for a Federal Stafford Loan. For example:

  • Take one 2-credit class in Summer and one 3-credit class in Fall = a total of 5 credits in the Summer/Fall term
  • Take nothing in Summer and two 3-credit classes in Fall = a total of 6 credits in the Summer/Fall term
  • The same applies to the Winter/Spring term. Basically, a student who takes one 3-credit class in each of the four sessions will now be considered half-time.
  • You can take as many courses in a term as you wish—there is no limit.

Important Note
In order to be eligible for a Federal Stafford Loan, you must register for the courses ahead of time. This allows the Registrar to confirm your enrollment as at least half-time.

Questions?
If you have any questions about the term structure and how it affects you eligibility for loans, please contact:


Program Administrator, Graduate Education
978.867.4322

or contact
978.867.4246