Student Loans
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LOAN PRORATION
AWARD AMOUNT BY ENROLLMENT TYPE
Proportional Loan Proration for Less-Than-Full-Time Students
Under the new federal student loan regulations, your loan eligibility will be determined in part by your specific level of enrollment status. For the first time, federal financial aid rules will directly scale your annual loan amounts based on whether you are taking a full or partial course load.
Prior to this change, you could receive the maximum annual loan limit for your academic year as long as you met the minimum half-time requirement. Under the new framework, if you enroll exactly half-time, your annual federal loan award limit will be prorated to half of your eligibility.
Effective July 1, 2026, students who are enrolled less-than-full-time will have their federal loan eligibility reduced proportionally to their exact enrollment level. Award calculations change by enrollment tier for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students:
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Annual base limits for undergraduates remain unchanged, but they are now subject to the part-time proportional reduction rule.
Dependent Students:
Annual caps remain at $5,500 for freshmen, $6,500 for sophomores, and $7,500 for juniors/seniors. The lifetime aggregate cap is locked at $31,000.
Independent Students:
Annual maximums are higher, with a lifetime aggregate borrowing cap of $57,500.
Pell Grant Enrollment Restriction:
Under the Student Â鶹´«Ã½ regulations, undergraduate students are ineligible to receive Pell Grants if their overall Cost of Attendance (COA) is already fully covered by other non-federal grants or scholarships.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Enrollment in graduate programs features much stricter caps compared to previous academic years.
Annual Direct Unsubsidized Limit:
Enrolled graduate students are capped at a maximum of $20,500 per year.
Aggregate Graduate Cap:
Your total combined graduate-level borrowing cannot exceed $100,000 (excluding undergraduate debt).
Program Elimination:
First-time graduate students can no longer enroll in or borrow through the Grad PLUS Loan program.
PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
Students enrolled in advanced, higher-cost professional degree tracks (such as Medical MD or Juris Doctor JD programs) receive higher maximum limits.
Annual Direct Unsubsidized Limit:
Professional students are capped at $50,000 per year.
Aggregate Professional Cap:
Total borrowing for professional programs is capped at $200,000.
LIFETIME BORROWING CEILING
The Hard Academic Career Borrowing Limit
Regardless of whether you transition from an undergraduate program into graduate or professional school, all federal funding stops once you reach the top ceiling:
$257,500 Lifetime Limit:
This absolute cap spans your entire higher education history and includes Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Graduate PLUS loans.
No Re-borrowing:
Once you hit this limit, you cannot regain eligibility, even if you pay off your loans, have them forgiven, or get them discharged.
LEGACY PROVISION
Enrollment Grandfathering
Students currently enrolled in a program may be temporarily exempt from these funding changes.
The Exception:
Students who remain continuously enrolled in the exact same program of study at the same institution as of June 30, 2026, are grandfathered under the old, more flexible limits.
Duration:
This legacy safety net lasts for up to three academic years or until you complete your current credential, whichever comes first. If you switch majors or change schools, you instantly lose this status.
LOAN REPAYMENT
NEW FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN REGULATIONS
Important Updates: New Federal Student Loan Regulations & Repayment Plans
Major legislative and regulatory updates under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and the Working Families Tax Cuts Act are changing the federal student loan landscape. The majority of these streamlined rules take effect on July 1, 2026.
The Sunset of the SAVE Plan and Older IDR Plans
2028 Deadline:
Existing borrowers have until July 1, 2028, to choose a new plan; otherwise, they will be automatically moved into the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
SAVE Plan Ended:
Following court actions, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan has been officially shut down.
Mandatory Transition:
Borrowers previously enrolled in SAVE, ICR, or PAYE must transition to a new legal repayment plan.
NEW REPAYMENT SYSTEM
The New Streamlined Repayment System
For loans issued on or after July 1, 2026, the complex web of old repayment options is being replaced by just two primary paths:
2028 Deadline:
Existing borrowers have until July 1, 2028, to choose a new plan; otherwise, they will be automatically moved into the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).
SAVE Plan Ended:
Following court actions, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan has been officially shut down.
Mandatory Transition:
Borrowers previously enrolled in SAVE, ICR, or PAYE must transition to a new legal repayment plan.
1. THE TIERED STANDARD REPAYMENT PLAN
Instead of a flat 10-year repayment schedule, your timeline is now determined by your total debt balance.
Variable Timelines:
Terms scale to 10, 15, 20, or 25 years based on how much you borrowed.
Pros & Cons:
While a longer term lowers your required monthly payment, it increases the total amount of interest you will pay over the life of the loan.
2. THE REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PLAN (RAP)
This is the newly established Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan designed to eliminate negative amortization.
Payment Calculation:
Monthly bills generally range from 1% to 10% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGGI).
No $0 Payments:
Unlike past IDR plans, RAP requires a minimum monthly payment of $10 for all enrolled borrowers.
Dependent Perk:
Borrowers receive a $50 discount on their monthly bill per qualifying dependent.
Dependent Perk:
Borrowers receive a $50 discount on their monthly bill per qualifying dependent.
Forgiveness Timeline:
Remaining balances are forgiven after 30 years of payments.
PSLF Eligibility:
RAP serves as the primary qualifying plan for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
PAUSING LOAN PAYMENTS
Future Changes to Pausing Payments (Effective July 1, 2027)
Economic Deferments Ending:
Economic hardship and unemployment deferments will no longer be available.
Forbearance Limits:
Forbearance periods will be restricted to a maximum of 9 months within any two-year window.
Default Rehabilitation:
Borrowers in default will gain the ability to rehabilitate their loans twice (up from once) with a minimum $10 monthly payment.
NEXT STEPS FOR STUDENTS
How to Make Sure You Are in Compliance With New Regulations
Check Your Servicer:
Log into your personal dashboard at to identify your loan servicer and view your current loan tracking.
Forbearance Consent to Tax Info:
When applying for the new RAP plan, provide consent to link your IRS tax data directly to speed up the process.
Get Phone Support:
If you need direct assistance, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
