U.S. Tightening Federal Student Loan Lending

As student loan debt climbs to a record $1.7 trillion, the U.S. is tightening federal student loan lending. Limits on lending will start in July 2026, capping graduate school borrowing at $100,000 ($200,000 for professional degrees), with graduate students subject to a $257,500 lifetime borrowing cap for all federal loans, including undergraduate loans. These changes follow last year’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which included provisions that assess the cost of education versus graduate earnings, with programs that don’t meet earning thresholds potentially losing access to the federal student loan programs. 

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