Graduate PLUS Loans are for students enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. For students, families, and institutions like JMU, this bill is significant because it changes some rules related to the federal aid (Title IV) programs. Some of those changes impact Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans available to graduate students.
As of the development of this webpage, these changes are scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2026, and/or with the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student.
Current Limits (before July 1st, 2026)
- Annual Limit: Determined by the formula of “Cost of Attendance – Other Aid (i.e. grants, scholarships, other loans)”
- Aggregate Limit: No limit
- Eligibility is based on student enrollment and a minimal credit check of the applicant
Changes Effective July 1st, 2026
This program is to be eliminated for new borrowers.
- Legacy Provision: Students with an existing Grad Plus Loan may continue borrowing for up to 3 years or for the remainder of their expected time to complete the program, within the published length of time to do so, whichever is less.
Institutional Discretion
Schools may have the ability to set lower annual loan limits by program. Limits must apply uniformly to all students in the program.
Planning Ahead
For families that need funding outside of the new limits the options below can be pursued.
Alternative funding options can include:
- Private loans
- Payment plans
- Scholarships
- Home equity or personal loans
The Department of Education has not published final rules for implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As a result, answers to the FAQ’s are based on our current understanding of the law and outcomes of the Negotiated Rulemaking process. They may change when the final rules are released.
A date has not been published for when final rules will be available. It is anticipated that this will occur in late winter or early spring.
Graduate PLUS Loan Frequently Asked Questions
Effective July 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated the Federal Graduate PLUS Loan program for all students who had not borrowed a Direct Loan at JMU before that date. Under certain rules, the law allows current borrowers to continue borrowing from the program for 3 years or until they complete their program, whichever is shorter.
If you meet the criteria to be considered a legacy borrower, then you can continue using the Federal Graduate PLUS Loan Program.
A legacy borrower is a current JMU student who has borrowed any Federal Direct Loan (i.e., Subsidized, Unsubsidized, or Graduate PLUS) before July 1, 2026. Borrowing a loan before July 1, 2026, means the loan was disbursed before that date.
No, you cannot be considered a legacy borrower because you are starting a new program after July 1, 2026.
Yes. There are a few ways these borrowers can lose eligibility.
Continuous Enrollment Requirement
Legacy borrowers must be continuously enrolled. For example, legacy borrowers will lose eligibility to continue using the Graduate PLUS Loan program if they:
- Take a fall or spring semester off
- Begin enrollment in a fall or spring semester and withdraws partially through it
If attendance in the summer term is not required as part of a student’s academic degree requirements, then summer is excluded from the continuous enrollment requirement, so a borrower will not lose eligibility for not taking classes in the summer.
Three Years of Eligibility
Legacy borrowers can retain eligibility for the Graduate PLUS Loan for only 3 academic years after July 1, 2026, or for the remainder of their program of study, whichever is shorter.
Changing Programs
Legacy borrowers will lose eligibility if they change to a different graduate or professional program after July 1, 2026.
Legacy borrowers must be continuously enrolled. For example, legacy borrowers will lose eligibility to continue using the Graduate PLUS Loan program if they:
- Take a fall or spring semester off
- Begin enrollment in a fall or spring semester and withdraw partially through it
Summer is excluded from the continuous enrollment requirement, so a borrower will not lose eligibility for not taking classes in the summer.
A “year” is an academic year, not a calendar year.
The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan remains available for all graduate students. You can learn more about that program by reviewing the Graduate Direct Loan Updates portion of our One Big Beautiful Bill Updates website.
Other loan options may be available through private/alternative loan lenders. You can view information about this and JMU’s Preferred Lender List on our website.
Graduate, professional and doctoral programs have varying program lengths. For example, if you in a program with a 2 year published program length, this means the program is designed to be completed in no more than 2 years on a full-time basis. To calculate your remaining eligibility, JMU must use this as the maximum time allowed to receive Grad PLUS Loans under this status.
Example 1:
- The student is in a graduate program that has a published program length of 2 years
- The student completes his first year at the end of 2025-26 and is scheduled to return for his 2nd year in 2026-27
- According to the program length, he should be enrolled:
- 2025-26 – Year 1
- 2026-27 – Year 2 (graduate)
- Student borrowed $30,000 in Grad PLUS Loan funds for the 2025-26 year
- 2 year program – 1 year of attendance = 2 years remaining under the current Grad PLUS Loan rules
Example 2:
- The student is in a graduate program that has a published program length of 2 years
- The student completes his second year at the end of 2025-26, but needs to return for a 3rd year in 2026-27 to complete his program
- According to the program length, he should be enrolled:
- 2024-25 – Year 1
- 2025-26 – Year 2 (should have graduated, but needs to return for one more year)
- 2026-27 – Year 3 (graduate)
- Student borrowed $60,000 in Grad PLUS Loan funds by the end of the 2025-26 year
- 2 year program – 2 years of attendance = 0 years remaining under the current Grad PLUS Loan rules
- This student will return in 2026-27 with no eligibility, as the Grad PLUS Loan program has been eliminated for non-legacy borrowers
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduces significant changes to federal student aid programs, and while some provisions are clear, many others require further clarification from the U.S. Department of Education.
We understand that students, families, and staff have questions—and so do we.
As we receive more guidance and official updates, we will continue to revise and expand this webpage to reflect the most accurate and actionable information available.
Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Summer Hours of Operation:
Mon - Thur 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fri 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
