How Student Loans and Financial Aid Are Changing in 2026
"The landscape for financial aid is about to change. In 2026, the federal government will curb access to billions of dollars in student loans, reconfigure how borrowers repay their debt and provide new grant money for short-term career training programs," The Washington Post reports.
... "People entering repayment for the first time will need an updated loan simulator, for instance, to select the best repayment plan, said Melanie Storey, president and chief executive of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Although newly minted graduates have a six-month grace period before repayment kicks in, she said colleges need to start communicating to students about their options long before then."
"'We need information and we need clarity,' Storey said. 'My members are the people on the ground who have to answer questions for students, and I’m concerned that given the schedule, we won’t have answers until well into the spring.'"
Publication Date: 1/2/2026