Changes to Grad Plus Coming This Year in 2026

Grad PLUS loans are going away, and the phase-out is going to create one of the strangest stretches in the history of student loan financing. If you're enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program, about to start one, or know someone who is, the new borrowing limits taking effect July 1, 2026, will reshape how you pay for school and how you'll repay later.

Learn about the new borrowing caps, the orphaned group of borrowers caught in between, why taking a leave of absence could cost you everything, and what the coming wave of private lending chaos means for your wallet.

Key moments:

(01:44) Why taking a leave of absence could lock some students out of crucial loans

(06:19) When high-cost programs only stay open to the wealthy

(07:39) Why private loans won't fill every funding gap

(14:23) How shrinking loan money could reshape (or close) schools

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