After months of student loan chaos, there’s clarity: If you’re already borrowing, you’ll probably be okay, though keep an eye out for some plan changes. But for anyone planning to borrow after July 2026, the picture gets a lot murkier. Higher payments, tighter loan limits, and longer repayment terms could reshape graduate and professional education in ways we haven’t seen before.

Learn why most current borrowers can breathe a little easier, what changes are coming for Parent PLUS and grad school loans, and why future students may need to rethink their strategies altogether. We also explore how schools themselves might have to adapt, and what this could mean for high-cost programs in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and law.

 

Key moments:

(5:19) Active students can continue borrowing until 2026 and for three more years beyond

(09:20) Parent PLUS loans borrowed after July 2026 won’t qualify for any affordable IDR plan

(13:27) Universities may see faculty cuts tied to falling enrollment once borrowing limits change

(17:19) Borrowing limit changes likely won’t be revisited until mid-2027 at the earliest

(23:13) There’s nothing to worry about right away — no loan rule changes take effect before July 2026

 

Resource mentioned:  The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber

 

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