"The 35th Annual AACRAO Conference on Strategic Enrollment Management was recently held in Las Vegas. In addition to the smoke of the casino floors and the neon lights of the strip, there was something else overshadowing the event: the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the nation’s higher education system," AACRAO writes.

... "This was particularly clear in the session, “A Brave New World: A Complete Overhaul to the Federal Financial Aid System” led by Melanie Gottlieb, AACRAO Executive Director, and Jill Desjean, Director of Policy Analysis at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. The session focused on the significant changes to the financial aid process brought about by the "One Big, Beautiful Bill," signed into law earlier this year, and on how this legislation will impact institutions and the students they serve."

... "During the session, Desjean was quick to note that this new lifetime limit is not enough to afford four years of college, and many students take longer than that to earn their credential. Similar to GradPLUS loans, there is a legacy provision for ParentPLUS that allows borrowers who have a federal direct loan made before July 1, 2026, while the dependent student is enrolled in a credentialed program to borrow under current loan limits for three academic years or the remainder of their expected time to credential, whichever is less."

... "Beyond the new loan limits for the ParentPLUS program, Desjean also covered OBBB’s new loan limits for graduate and professional students that will start July 1, 2026. Graduate students can borrow $20,500 per year with a lifetime limit of $100,000, and professional students can borrow $50,000 per year with a lifetime limit of $200,000, not including any loan amounts borrowed as an undergraduate."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 11/24/2025