For What It's Worth Newsletter - October 2025

Refunds

Need money to cover fall living expenses?

Students who expect to have a credit balance once all anticipated aid is disbursed may apply for a living expense refund against the future credit.

Complete a Refund/Cash Advance Request Form

Tracking Down Your Student Loans

• Federal Student Aid (FSA): Visit https://studentaid.gov to view your federal loan information.

• AnnualCreditReport.com: Request a free credit report from the 3 major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) to see all federal and private loans listed.

Strategies for Tackling Undergrad Loans During Grad School

Managing undergraduate loans while in grad school can be challenging, but with careful planning and strategy, you can mitigate the financial burden. Here are some strategies:

Understand Your Loans: Make sure you understand the terms of your loans, including interest rates, repayment schedules, and any deferment or forbearance options.

Apply for Deferment/Forbearance:

• Deferment: If you are enrolled at leasthalf time, you may be eligible to defer your loans. During deferment, you do not have to make payments, and in some cases, interest on subsidized loans will not accrue.

• Forbearance: This allows you to temporarily suspend payments, but interest will accrue on all types of loans.

Make Interest Payments: If you can, try to pay the interest on your loans. This can prevent interest from capitalizing, which happens when unpaid interest is added to the principal balance, increasing the amount owed.

Photo by Viktoria Slowikowska

IT Perks and Discounts

Harvard students are eligible for free and discounted software and hardware.

For more information visit https://www.huit.harvard.edu/it-perks-and-discounts

Meal Plan for Graduate & Professional Students

All graduate and professional school students are eligible for GradPlus, a meal plan that provides a 10% discount on purchases at multiple designated Harvard University Dining Services Campus Cafes, including Sebastian's Cafe.

For more information visit: https://www.dining.harvard.edu/graduateprofessional-dining/meal-plans

Student Perks & Discounts

Looking to make your budget stretch further this semester? Discover a range of exclusive discounts and deals designed to help you spend less and get more out of campus life.

Arts and Culture

Harvard students have access to arts and cultural events on and off campus, including 16 free Harvard museums and movie showings at the Harvard Film Archive.

Transportation

Bike Share: students benefit from a discounted yearly membership to Bluebikes.

Zip Car: Students get discounted rates, including a yearly membership for $35 a year.

Free Shuttle Service: Students can ride the Harvard and M2 shuttles for free with a student ID.

For more information visit: https://college.harvard.edu/student-life/residentiallife/cambridge-boston.

Outings & Innings

Harvard students can qualify for discounts and early access events to sporting events such as the Celtics, Red Sox and Bruins.

Students can qualify for discounts to museums such as the MFA, ICA and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Discounts also include performing arts, movies and more.

View Outings & Innings.

One Big Beautiful Bill Act Updates

On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the Act) became law, bringing about changes to certain federal student aid programs. While some of these changes took effect right away, others will be implemented later this year and in the future.

View details.

Federal Loan Updates

Enhancements to StudentAid.gov

On August 3, 2025, new enhancements to StudentAid.gov were introduced to help students and borrowers quickly access the applications and information they need. Some of these changes include:

• Updated borrower defense to repayment loan discharge application

• Real-time matching with the Social Security Administration for borrowers creating or updating accounts

• Improved site navigation. View details.

Financial Aid

Fact

Federal loan interest is calculated by using a simple daily interest formula:

Interest amount = (outstanding principal balance x interest rate factor) x number of days since last payment.

Interest rate factor is used to calculate the amount of interest that accrues on your loan. You can find your interest rate factor by dividing your loan’s interest rate by the number of days in the year.

by Jimmy