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.
Loan Reduction for Less-Than-Full-Time Enrollment:
Students who enroll full-time and remain enrolled full-time are eligible to receive the full-time annual loan limit.
Students who enroll less-than-full-time, or drop below full-time, could now have their federal student loans reduced in direct proportion to their less-than-full-time status. If full-time is 24 credit hours and a student enrolls for 18 credit hours for the academic year, the student will receive 75% of their annual loan limit eligibility (18/24 = 75%)
Federal student loans that will be affected by the new loan reduction requirements:
- Federal Subsidized Loans (undergraduate)
- Federal Unsubsidized Loans (undergraduate and graduate)
- Federal Graduate PLUS Loans (graduate – eligible under legacy provisions)
(Federal Parent PLUS Loans are not subject to reduction for less than full-time enrollment.)
Each loan will be reduced separately according to the student’s less-than-full-time enrollment status.
Winterlude and Summer:
- Classes taken during the Winterlude session will count towards spring enrollment.
- Classes taken during the Summer session will not count towards fall or spring enrollment.
- Summer is considered its own term for federal student loan eligibility and loan reduction.
- Students enrolling in the Summer session will have their loans reduced if they drop from full-time enrollment to less-than-full-time enrollment during the summer term.
Example:
Full-time status for undergraduate students is 24 credits for the academic year (12 per semester)
A student who drops to 9 credits in the fall semester and maintains 12 credits for the spring semester will be 3 credits short of being considered full-time for the academic year. Due to this 3-credit shortage, the student’s federal loans must be reduced.
A student who drops to 9 credits in the fall semester and increases their enrollment to 15 credits for the spring semester will be considered full-time for the academic year. Since the student met the full-time requirements for the academic year, their loans do not have to be reduced.
Example:
Full-time status for undergraduate students is 24 credits for the academic year (12 per semester)
A first-year student who enrolls in 6 credits in the fall semester and also enrolls in 6 credits for the spring semester will be 12 credits short of being considered full-time for the academic year. Due to this 12-credit shortage, the student’s federal loans must be reduced.
