One Big Beautiful Bill

Changes to Financial Aid Beginning in Fall 2026

Updated 6/11/26

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law on July 5, 2025, resulting in changes to financial aid. Federal student loans are mainly impacted.
More information is available at page.
Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid if you have questions about how your aid eligibility will be impacted.

Beginning Fall 2026 and Impacting All Borrowers: Reduced loan eligibility for students enrolled less than full time in the academic year.

Students who enroll less than full time for the academic year will have reduced annual loan eligibility. For undergraduate students, full time for the academic year is defined as 24 credits. For graduate students, full time for the academic year is defined as 18 credits.

This means that if you enroll less than full time, the Financial Aid Office will determine the maximum amount of loans that you can borrow for the year based on your actual enrollment and may be required to reduce your loan. Withdrawing from courses may also result in reduced loan eligibility for the year.

This rule applies to Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Graduate PLUS Loans. It is still required that students must be enrolled in a minimum of half time to receive a loan.

Beginning Fall 2026 and Impacting Graduate Students: The Graduate PLUS loan program is ending.

Students who are beginning their program at FAU in the 2026-2027 year will not be eligible for Graduate PLUS Loans.

Graduate students who were enrolled in their program at FAU prior to July 1, 2026, and who received a Direct Loan in their program prior to that date, may be potentially eligible to continue borrowing Graduate PLUS loans under a legacy status, or "interim exception".

This exception only applies for a limited length of time: either three academic years or the difference between how long your program is supposed to last (if you enroll full time) and how long you've already been enrolled (regardless of whether full time or part time), whichever number is smaller.

Students who are determined to be eligible for the interim exception will lose the status and become immediately ineligible for Graduate PLUS Loans if they either withdraw from all of their classes, do not attend in fall or spring, or change their program.

Beginning Fall 2026 and Impacting Graduate Students: New Lifetime and Aggregate Loan Limit.

Graduate students may borrow up to an aggregate limit of $100,000 in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, not including amounts borrowed as an undergraduate.

There is also a new lifetime loan limit of $257,500 in any Federal loans (except Parent PLUS), without regard to amounts repaid, forgiven, canceled or otherwise discharged.

Students who are eligible for the interim exception may be subject to previous loan limits.

Beginning Fall 2026 and Impacting Undergraduate Students and Parent Borrowers: New Loan Limits for Parent PLUS loans.

If approved for a Parent PLUS Loan, parents may borrow up to a new loan limit of $20,000 per academic year and per student. The amount may also be reduced due to the student's cost of attendance. The total amount borrowed cannot exceed $65,000.

Students who were enrolled in their program at FAU prior to July 1, 2026, and who received a Direct Loan in their program prior to that date, may be potentially eligible to continue borrowing Parent PLUS Loans under the previous loan limit under the interim exception.

Students who are determined to be eligible for the interim exception will lose the status and become immediately subject to the new Parent PLUS Loan limits if they either withdraw from all of their classes or do not attend in fall or spring.

Beginning Fall 2026 and Impacting Undergraduate Students: Pell Grant Ineligibility for Full Cost of Attendance Scholarship Recipients.

Students who receive grants or scholarships from non-federal sources covering their entire cost of attendance will be ineligible to receive a Pell grant, even if they are otherwise eligible for the Pell grant. "Non-federal sources" means any grants or scholarships from FAU, external organizations, or the state. The "entire cost of attendance" means all of the student's tuition charges and living expenses for the year. For example, an undergraduate student who is a �̲�ֱ�� resident and enrolled full time has a cost of attendance of $31,030 for the academic year (including all living expenses). If the student receives scholarships and grants from non-federal sources that equal or exceed $31,030, they are not eligible for a Federal Pell grant. ��Visit our cost of attendance page for more details about how cost of attendance is estimated.

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