Federal Changes – Parent PLUS Loans

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act [PDF] was signed into law on July 4, 2025.

This legislation will impact Federal Student Aid programs, including Federal Student Loan repayment plans, Federal Student Loan limits, Federal Parent PLUS Loans, and Federal Graduate PLUS Loans. These changes will begin on July 1, 2026.

Parent PLUS Loan for New Borrowers:

For students starting enrollment at Syracuse University on or after July 1, 2026.

New Parent PLUS Loan Limits:

The Parent PLUS Loan is limited to $20,000 per dependent student per academic year.

The Parent PLUS Loan is limited to an aggregate of $65,000 per dependent student.

This equates to about $16,250 in Parent PLUS Loan eligibility per student each academic year (for a typical 4-year program).


Parent PLUS Loan for Existing Borrowers:

For students continuing enrollment at Syracuse University as of July 1, 2026.

Parent PLUS Loan Legacy Provisions:

  • Parent PLUS Loan Borrowers – Legacy Eligibility Based on Prior Borrowing for Each Specific Student:
    • To qualify for the legacy provision, a student must meet all of the following criteria:
      • The student was enrolled in a program of study** before July 1, 2026.
      • They had a federal student loan for their program of study disbursed before July 1, 2026. 
      • Legacy provisions for Parent PLUS borrowers are specific to each student*, who must have been enrolled for a program of study** before July 1, 2026.
      • This legacy provision allows them to continue borrowing from the program for:
        • Three academic years; or
        • The remainder of their current program**;
        • whichever is less. 
      • If the student ceases enrollment or withdraws from the university and does not re-enroll in their program of study before June 30, 2026, the legacy status no longer applies, and the new limits take effect immediately. (Please see glossary definition of “enrollment.”)

*Legacy provisions do not apply to other dependent students, unless they were also enrolled in a program of study as of June 30, 2026, and received a loan or a loan was received on their behalf for that program of study**.