Federal Financial Aid Changes and USAHS Student Financial Aid Update

If you start before July 1, 2026, and receive a loan disbursement before that date, then you are eligible to apply for Grad PLUS Loans as a legacy borrower. This includes students starting in Summer 2026. However, you must remain continuously enrolled in your program to be eligible to continue to borrow Grad PLUS through the interim exception period.

Grad PLUS Loans will no longer be available for graduate and professional students starting or scheduled to start a new program on or after July 1, 2026. Students who begin their program after July 1, 2026, or started their program before July 1, 2026, but have not met the requirements to disburse a federal loan before July 1, 2026, will not be eligible for Grad PLUS Loans. Students starting a program on or after July 1, 2026, or later, may still be eligible for Unsubsidized Direct Loans under new loan limits.

New students starting a graduate program July 1, 2026, or later may borrow:

• Up to $20,500 per award year in Unsubsidized Direct Loans
• Up to $100,000 Unsubsidized Direct total aggregate cap across all graduate borrowing
• Up to $257,500 total lifetime maximum aggregate (combined undergraduate and graduate, excluding Parent PLUS loans) borrowing limit for Federal Student Loans.

Students who need additional funds can use an array of non-federal funding sources including private loans, state loans/grants, scholarships or payment plans.

Students who start their program, apply to use Grad PLUS, get approved and have their Grad PLUS funds disbursed by June 30, 2026, remain eligible for the interim exception.

If you receive a qualified federal loan disbursement before July 1, 2026, you may continue using Grad PLUS for whichever comes first:

• up to 3 academic aid award years (six terms) or
• The student’s remaining time to complete the program, calculated by subtracting the amount of time the student has completed as of June 30, 2026 (including the Summer 2026 term), from the published program length.

This assumes you remain continuously enrolled and do not change your program. For example, changing from a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree program to a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program would be disqualifying. If you only change modality while remaining in the same degree program, you are expected to retain legacy eligibility.

No. These changes do not affect:

• Program quality
• Accreditation
• Faculty or curriculum

Students who withdraw (including administratively withdrawn) or are suspended from the University and return to the same or a different program on or after July 1, 2026 will lose legacy eligibility, will not have access to Grad PLUS loans and will be subject to new loan limits.

Students who take a leave of absence between now and June 30, 2026 and do not return to the University before July 1, 2026 or who take a leave of absence at any point on or after July 1, 2026 will lose legacy eligibility, will not have access to Grad PLUS loans and will be subject to new loan limits. Because our LOA policy requires a student to return at the start of a term, students who are on leave and do not return by the start of Summer 2026 term will lose legacy eligibility.

Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment will lose legacy eligibility.  If a student fails a course and does not immediately return in the next semester, the student will lose access to Grad PLUS loans. If there is no available cohort to join, students may be eligible to transfer campuses or modalities in order to maintain continuous enrollment and retain legacy eligibility. If a student is clearing incomplete grades or completing sanctions and is not continuously enrolled, the student will lose legacy eligibility.

The new law requires institutions to factor in a student’s enrollment status when determining federal loan eligibility. As a result, students enrolled less than full-time may qualify for reduced loan amounts compared to prior rules. This schedule of reductions applies to all borrowers, whether they are new or legacy. Please speak to your Financial Aid Advisor for your specific situation.

We do not expect delays in originations and disbursements. Financial aid will continue to process normally.

No. VA benefits are not impacted by these federal loan changes.

We offer many options for funding your education and encourage students to research various sources  to find what works best for them. You can use any of the following alone or in combination to fund your education*:

• Private loans (Sallie Mae, Edly, College Ave and others)
• State loans/grants
• Scholarships (USAHS and external)
• Payment plans
• Employer, Veterans Affairs benefits or military tuition assistance

*If eligible

Private loans are financing offered by banks, credit unions and other lenders. These loans are paid back with interest. The rate of interest and fees may depend on student creditworthiness and may require a co-signer.

Creditworthiness is based on your credit history. Lenders will look at your credit score, payment history and other financial behavior to determine whether to approve a loan and what interest rate to offer.

If you are not initially deemed credit-worthy, there are still options available. One of the most common solutions is applying with a co-signer who has strong credit.

A co-signer agrees to share responsibility for repaying the loan, providing additional assurance to the lender. This is often a parent, guardian, or trusted relative with established credit who supports your educational goals. Many lenders will release a co-signer from responsibility after the borrower has made a minimum number of timely payments once the loan enters the repayment period.

• New students initiating their program on or after July 1, 2026, will continue to have access to Direct Unsubsidized loans, but will not have access to the Grad PLUS Loan.
• Current students who began before July 1, 2026 and have their first loan disbursement before that date, may keep Grad PLUS Loan access under the current rules through the expected time to credential

Tuition is not impacted by federal loan eligibility.

All students should contact their financial aid advisor by either calling 904-423-2010, emailing [email protected] or scheduling an appointment on the USAHS financial aid page: https://www.usa.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/.

Students who enroll in programs that are classified as “professional degree” programs on or after July 1, 2026, may qualify for higher loan limits. Graduate degree programs are not included in the new regulatory definition of “professional degree” program for federal loan purposes.  We will continue to monitor this process and provide updates if new information becomes available.

You can feel confident that physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing and EdD remain valued and recognized professional degrees. The OBBBA “professional degree” loan classification only determines maximum graduate Direct Unsubsidized loan limits – it does not impact licensure, accreditation, or your career prospects.

No. Your eligibility for advanced practice roles, specialty certifications and professional licensure will remain the same.

The federal changes relate to only Direct Unsubsidized loan limits, not the academic, clinical or licensure requirements established by your profession. Whether you are pursuing nursing, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), speech-language pathology (SLP), or Doctor of Education (EdD), your education, clinical training and professional qualifications are unchanged. These new lending rules do not alter the University’s accreditation or state licensure status.