Loan Navigator.The rules changed. Here’s what it means for you.

What changed for new loans

These changes are for new loans made on or after July 1, 2026. Loans you already have may follow the older rules. Check StudentAid.gov for your own loans.

1. Parent PLUS now has a limit. A parent can borrow up to $20,000 a year and $65,000 in total for each dependent student. Before, a parent could borrow up to the cost of attendance minus other aid. If your parent already had Parent PLUS for you before July 1, 2026, different rules may apply; ask your financial aid office.
2. Grad PLUS ends for new borrowers. Graduate and professional students starting new borrowing can no longer take a Grad PLUS loan.
3. A new repayment plan, RAP. New loans can be repaid on a standard plan or the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), where the payment is based on your income. Use the Loan Simulator to see what yours could look like.
4. Hardship and unemployment deferments end for new loans. For new loans, you may not be able to pause payments because money is tight or you lost a job the way borrowers used to. Talk to your loan servicer early if you ever get behind.

StudentAid.gov is the official site of the U.S. Department of Education. It’s free. Nobody should ever charge you to use it.

The Parent PLUS gap calculator

For one school year. Your cost of attendance and aid are on your financial aid offer. Nothing you type is saved or sent.

Put in your cost of attendance to see your numbers.

If there’s a gap, do these next

1. Ask financial aid for a professional judgment review. If your family’s money changed (a job loss, a death, medical bills), the aid office can look at your aid again.
2. Appeal your aid offer. Write and ask whether there’s any more grant or institutional aid. Ask what you’d need to show.
3. If your parent is denied Parent PLUS, ask your financial aid office about the additional unsubsidized amount you can borrow when a parent is denied PLUS.
4. Ask the bursar for a payment plan for what’s left, so it’s spread over the term instead of due at once.
5. Cut the biggest cost. Ask housing about cheaper rooms, a smaller meal plan, or living options off campus.
6. Apply for scholarships now. Many have deadlines months before the term. REACH lists them in one place.

An estimate. Your financial aid office has the official numbers and knows which rules apply to your family’s loans.

Behind on payments, or in default?

It’s fixable, and the official help is free. The worst thing is waiting.

1. Find out who your loan servicer is. Log in to StudentAid.gov; your loans and servicer are listed there.
2. Call your servicer before you miss another payment. Ask what plans fit your income now, and whether a lower payment is possible.
3. If you’re in default, go to StudentAid.gov’s default page to see your ways out, such as loan rehabilitation or consolidation.
4. Get every agreement in writing and keep a copy of each payment.

Watch for scams. You never have to pay anyone to lower your payment or get out of default. Never give your FSA ID or password to a company that calls, texts or emails you.

General information, not legal or financial advice. Loan rules change; StudentAid.gov and your loan servicer have the final word on your loans.