What current and future students and families need to know about federal aid changes.
Timeline 鈥� Legacy Provisions 鈥� FAQs 鈥� Glossary
As of May 1, 2026, The U.S. Department of Education has released final guidance regarding federal student aid changes associated with the听听and related federal aid updates taking effect beginning听Summer 2026. The final guidance confirms the changes to Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS loan rules, legacy borrowing, loan limits, and more.听
PLEASE NOTE:听91制片厂's Office of Financial Aid is currently reviewing the final regulations and working through the required system integration, implementation, and compliance updates necessary to ensure aid is processed accurately. As a result,听some financial aid award offers and revisions may be delayed while this review is completed. We appreciate your patience and understanding as our office works to implement these changes responsibly and provide students and families with the most accurate information possible.
This webpage will continue to be updated as additional guidance and operational details become available.听
Federal student aid regulations established under the OBBB Act will impact students听entering college beginning Summer 2026 term or after, or听changing academic programs after Summer 2026.
Students entering graduate or professional programs beginning Summer 2026 will no longer have access to the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan program as new borrowers.
Graduate students may still be eligible for:
Important Note 91制片厂 Aggregate Limits
Federal loan limits include both annual and lifetime borrowing caps. Students who previously borrowed federal loans as undergraduate students should review their remaining eligibility carefully. Students approaching may need to explore:
Beginning Summer 2026:
The impact of these changes depends on听when you begin your program听and whether you听borrowed federal loans before Summer 2026. These changes may have the greatest impact on:
91制片厂 encourages students and families to:
A parent may qualify for the legacy provision if听all are true:
If eligible, a parent may continue borrowing for:
Important:
A graduate level student may qualify for the legacy provision if听all are true:
Legacy borrowing is allowed for:
Changing programs or institutions ends legacy eligibility.
A student enrolled in an MSW program at 91制片厂 before Summer 2026 and had a federal Direct Loan disbursed prior to Summer 2026, may maintain legacy status if they听remain in the MSW program.
However, if that student later changes their program to an M.S. in Human Resource Leadership,听or the student transfers from 91制片厂 to another university's MSW program, they will not maintain legacy status.
The following Pell changes take effect beginning Summer 2026:
Beginning Summer 2026, loan limits will be adjusted depending on enrollment level, similar to grant funding. This means听new borrowers听enrolled听less than full time will only be able to borrow loan amounts in direct proportion to their credit load, with a minimum half-time enrollment requirement.
This means:
听
No. There are听no changes to federal student loans for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 terms.
Financial assets that are counted when students and parents complete the 2026-27 FAFSA form will now better reflect a family's need.
Beginning Summer 2026:
Your parent听may qualify for legacy (grandfathered) borrowing if:
If eligible, your parent may continue borrowing for:
Legacy status allows certain students or parents to continue borrowing federal loans under听current rules, even after new limits take effect. For a certain period of time. Explore different .
Undergraduate students: Yes, as long as you remain in the same degree program
Graduate students:听No, legacy status is tied to the specific graduate program
Legacy eligibility does听not transfer to another institution. New loan limits apply at your new school.听
Legacy status ends immediately if a student withdraws or stops enrollment.
Federal loan eligibility for student enrolled less than full time will be adjusted based on enrollment level through a process called Schedule of Reductions..
If you begin with Summer 2026 term or after:
Contact the听Financial Aid Office. We can review your situation and help you understand how these changes may affect you.
Aggregate:听The maximum amount of a loan that can be borrowed during a specific academic career or period of time.
Legacy:听A legacy provision in federal student aid refers to rules that allow students or parents with specific eligibility to continue receiving aid or borrowing federal loans under older criteria, even is the criteria has since changed.
Subsidized Loan:听A type of loan where the government pays the interest on the loan while the borrower is in school at least half-time, during a grace period, and during periods of deferment.
Unsubsidized Loan:听A type of loan where the interest is accruing during the period of enrollment, during the grace period, and during deferment.听
Parent PLUS Loan:听A federal loan that the parent(s) of a dependent undergraduate student can borrow to help pay for their child's education. It is a credit-based loan, not based on the student's or family's financial need. Parents can borrow up to the cost of attendance, minus any other aid the student is receiving.听
Dependent Student:听A dependent student is someone whose parent(s) information required on the FAFSA based on the听听asked on the FAFSA.
If you have questions about how these changes may affect your financial aid, please听contact the Financial Aid Office. We are here to help.