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Federal Financial Aid Changes for Graduate and Doctoral Students

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The bulk of One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) modifications to all graduate and doctoral students include defining professional verses graduate programs, federal student loan proration implementation, loan lending limit changes, discontinuation of Graduate PLUS loans, and legacy provisions for previous Graduate PLUS loan borrowers.

 

Professional vs. Graduate Level Defined Programs

The change in the definition of does not alter the annual loan limits for graduate students at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½. Students in graduate programs at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ will remain classified as a graduate student (not in a professional program under the new definition).

Loan Proration

For those eligible for federal student loans, amounts will now be based on exact enrollment. Some graduate and doctoral programs, for example Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Occupational Therapy require summer enrollment while other programs do not.

Proration for Programs with No Summer Enrollment Required

To qualify a student must still meet the following:

• Enrolled in at least 3 credit hours a semester for Federal Loan based on academic level.
• Need at least 9 hours each semester to qualify for the maximum loan.*
• Less than 9 hours each semester there will be proration based on your exact enrollment.
• Examples:
  • 100% Loan Eligibility.* If you are enrolled in 9 credit hours in Fall and 9 hours in Spring (18 hours total), you will obtain 50% of annual loan eligibility in the Fall and 50% of annual loan eligibility in the Spring, totaling 100%.
  • 66.67% Loan Eligibility. If you are enrolled in 6 credit hours in Fall and 6 hours in Spring (12 hours total), you will obtain 33.33% of annual loan eligibility in the Fall and 33.33% of annual loan eligibility in the Spring, totaling 66.67%.

*The annual credit hour requirement is based on being enrolled in at least 18 credit hours. If your enrollment exceeds 9 credit hours in one semester to help balance out for terms where you may have enrolled less than full time, you may still be eligible for the full annual loan limit. Example: 6 credit hours fall + 12 credit hours Spring = 18 annual credit hours.

Loan percentage per semester based on enrollment status and credit hours

Enrollment Status	Credit Hours Per Semester	Percentage of Loans Per Semester
Full Time	9 or more	50%
Three-Quarter Time	8	44.44%
Three-Quarter Time	7	38.89%
Three-Quarter Time	6	33.33%
Half Time	5	27.78%
Half Time	4	22.22%
Half Time	3	16.67%
Less Than Half Time	2	Not Eligible
Less Than Half Time	1	Not Eligible

 

Proration for Programs with Summer Enrollment Required

To qualify a student must still meet the following:

• • Enrolled in at least 3 credit hours each semester – Fall, Spring, Summer – for Federal Loan based on academic level.
  • Need at least 9 hours each semester – Fall, Spring, Summer – to qualify for the maximum loan.
  • Less than 9 hours each semester there will be proration based on your exact enrollment.

Example:

• Examples:
  • 100% Loan Eligibility.* If you are enrolled in 9 hours in Fall, 9 hours in Spring, 9 hours in Summer (27 hours total) you will obtain 33.33% of annual loan eligibility in the Fall, 33.33% of annual loan eligibility in the Spring, and 33.33% of annual loan eligibility in the Summer, totaling 100%.

*The annual credit hour requirement is based on being enrolled in at least 27 credit hours. If your enrollment exceed 9 credit hours in one semester to help balance out for terms where you may have enrolled less than full time, you may still be eligible for the full annual loan limit. Example: 6 credit hours fall + 12 credit hours Spring + 9 credit hours Summer = 27 annual credit hours.

Loan percentage per semester based on enrollment status and credit hours

Enrollment Status	Credit Hours Per Semester	Percentage of Loans Per Semester
Full Time	9 or more	33.33%
Three-Quarter Time	8	29.46%
Three-Quarter Time	7	25.93%
Three-Quarter Time	6	32.22%
Half Time	5	18.52%
Half Time	4	14.81%
Half Time	3	11.11%
Less Than Half Time	2	Not Eligible
Less Than Half Time	1	Not Eligible

 

Adjustments to your aid will be made based on your enrollment changes. To maximize your aid eligibility and to receive your full loan eligibility, you will want to enroll in at least 9 credit hours each semester.

 

If you have additional questions regarding your financial aid eligibility, please contact Student Financial Services.

 

Changes to Federal Student Loan Limits

How Much Can You Borrow Annually (Each Year)?

The annual unsubsidized loan limits for graduate and professional students remain the same at $20,500.

What Changes Have Been Made to the Aggregate Limit?

The aggregate limit was changed to $100,000 (not including undergraduate loans). from $138,500 which included undergraduate loans.

What is the Lifetime Borrowing Limit?

New Students (Starting 2026–2027)

• If you are a new student starting in the 2026-2027 academic year or later, your total federal loan limit across all programs is $257,500.
• This limit applies to the total amount you have outstanding – meaning the balance you still owe, not the total you have ever borrowed. It covers Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Grad Plus Loans.
• Parent PLUS Loans do not count toward this limit.

Current and Continuing Students

• If you are already enrolled or have previously taken out federal loans, the rules have not changed for you. Your total limit remains $138,500, not including any Parent PLUS Loans borrowed on your behalf.

Graduate PLUS Loans

Enrolled in a program before July 1, 2026

• Students can continue to borrow under the Graduate PLUS program (for up to three academic years or the remainder of their program length, whichever is less) if they remain continuously enrolled in the same program of study at the same institution as they were enrolled as of June 30, 2026 and for whom a Direct Loan was made for that program of study prior to July 1, 2026.

Begin a graduate program after July 1, 2026

• Students will not be eligible for Graduate PLUS Loans.

 

Not sure if you meet the requirements for the legacy provisions?

Reach out to the student financial services team and they will be able to identify which students qualify based on information stored within federal databases.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is here to support and educate on how to navigate and fund their educational journey. We are committed to providing support to Saints and their families throughout this transition. If you don’t see your question here, our admissions and financial aid teams are always happy to help guide you through your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are happy to help!

• Will the new law immediately affect my existing loans or aid?

  No. If you’re currently receiving aid or are in repayment, your loans remain under their present terms for now. Most changes—including new loan limits and repayment options—will apply starting in the 2026–27 academic year. We are monitoring federal guidance and will update you as details are finalized.

• I’m already enrolled in a program; will these changes affect me mid-program?
  • If you’re currently enrolled and utilizing in the student loan programs at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½, there are no changes to the aid you’ve already received.
  • If you borrowed a student loan for a term that begins before July 1, 2026, you may be eligible to borrow under the previous loan limits. If you are a graduate student, you may borrow additional Grad PLUS Loans under the previous loan limits to finish your current program of study or for three years, whichever is shorter.
  • To be eligible for the previous loan limits (including Grad PLUS), you must be continuously enrolled in your current program of study. If you withdraw or go on academic pause, you will be considered a new borrower subject to the new loan limits. You will also be considered a new borrower if you temporarily stop attending your current program of study to enroll in and/or complete another program.
• What if I plan to borrow federal loans for a future academic year and will not be enrolled full-time?
  The new law requires annual loan amounts to be prorated in direct proportion to your enrollment status. This change is effective with all graduate level federal loans borrowed for the 2026-27 academic year and beyond. Your eligibility will be determined at the time of disbursement based on the number of credit hours a full-time student is expected to take for the academic year.
• What happens if I’ve already reached my aggregate Federal Direct Loan limits under the old rules?

  If you have borrowed up to the aggregate federal loan limits under current rules, you may not be eligible for additional Federal Direct Loans unless the new law raises the limits for your situation. You can review the old and new loan limits on the .

• Is my program a Professional or Graduate program?

  Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ does not currently offer any of the below professional programs. All other post-baccalaureate programs offered here at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½â€”including PhD programs—are classified as graduate, and as such the annual loan limit is still $20,500.
  The distinction between “graduate” and “professional” programs is defined in federal regulation () and affects how much you can borrow each year. Professional programs are typically those that signify completion of academic requirements for beginning work or practice in a given profession, are generally at the doctoral level, and lead directly to a degree required for licensure in a recognized profession.
  The federal regulations include the following programs in the definition: Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.); Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); Law (L.L.B. or J.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Optometry (O.D.); Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.); Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); Theology (M.Div., or M.H.L.); and Clinical Psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)

• Are students who are provisionally or conditionally accepted into a graduate program eligible for the legacy borrowing provisions in OBBBA?

  No, students who are enrolled in preparatory coursework do not qualify for the legacy borrowing provisions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and would be treated as new borrowers.

• If I take longer than three years to complete my program will I still qualify for the old rules?

  Once a student has reached the maximum time frame for Legacy Provisions, they will be subject to the new annual and aggregate Direct Loan limits.

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