One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Students who begin a new program on or after July 1, 2026 will be subject to the new federal student loan provisions.

If you were enrolled in your current program prior to July 1, 2026, have already received federal student loans for that program, and have not exceeded the program’s published length, you may qualify for “grandfathering” provisions.

Under these provisions, you may continue to borrow under the old loan limits ans system for up to three additional academic years, or for the remaining length of your program (based on the difference between the total published program length and the time you have already completed), whichever is shorter.

If at at any point, you no longer qualify under the grandfathering provisions, you will be subject to the new loan limits. 

Yes. Parent PLUS Loans will continue to be available.

If you were enrolled in your current program prior to July 1, 2026, and you or your parent has already received a federal loan for that program, you may qualify for “grandfathering” provisions.

Under these provisions, your parent may continue borrowing Parent PLUS Loans on your behalf for up to three additional academic years, or for the remaining length of your program (based on the difference between the program’s total published length and the time you have already completed), whichever is shorter.

If you are starting a new program on or after July 1, 2026, your parents may still borrow Parent PLUS Loans, but the loans will be subject to the new borrowing limits of $20,000 per year and $65,000 total.

Yes. More than one parent can borrow a Parent PLUS Loan for the same student. However, the total amount borrowed between all parent borrowers can’t exceed $20,000 per year and $65,000 total for that student.

Yes - possibly. If you were enrolled in your current program prior to July 1, 2026, have already received federal student loans for that program, and have not exceeded the program’s published length, you may qualify for “grandfathering” provisions.

Under these provisions, you may continue to borrow Grad PLUS Loans for up to three additional academic years, or for the remaining length of your program (based on the difference between the total published program length and the time you have already completed), whichever is shorter.

Yes - possibly. If you were enrolled in your current program prior to July 1, 2026, have already received any type of federal student loans for that program, and have not exceeded the program’s published length, you may qualify for “grandfathering” provisions.

Under these provisions, you may continue to borrow Grad PLUS Loans for up to three additional academic years, or for the remaining length of your program (based on the difference between the total published program length and the time you have already completed), whichever is shorter.

No. Only students enrolled in a program prior to July 1, 2026 will qualify for the grandfathering provisions.

No. You must be continuously enrolled in the same program you were enrolled in prior to July 1, 2026 to qualify for the grandfathering provisions. 

The grandfathering provisions are based on the amount of time remaining in your program as determined by federal requirements, not the maximum amount of time allowed to complete your program at George Fox University.

For purposes of determining eligibility, the program length is based on the minimum amount of time required for a full-time student to complete the program. This may be shorter than the maximum timeframe allowed by the university.

Additionally, federal requirements require us to consider any transfer credits accepted toward your program when determining your remaining time to completion. Transfer credits may reduce the amount of program time you are considered to have remaining.

As a result, a student may have remaining time available under George Fox University’s academic policies but may not qualify for the federal grandfathering provisions because their federally determined remaining program length has been completed.

According to the Department of Education's definition of professional programs, the following will be considered "professional" for federal Direct Loan limit purposes:

• Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

• Master of Divinity (MDiv)

All other graduate programs at George Fox are considered standard graduate programs for federal Direct Loan limit purposes.

UPDATE as of July 1, 2026: 

Due to a recent court stay affecting the Department of Education’s professional program definition, the following programs are temporarily being treated as professional programs and may qualify for the higher federal Direct Loan limits:

• Physician Assistant (PA)
• Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

This temporary designation is subject to change based on the outcome of the ongoing court proceedings and any future guidance issued by the Department of Education. George Fox University will continue to monitor updates and adjust eligibility determinations as additional information becomes available.

If you are enrolled less than full-time, the amount of your Federal Direct Loans may be reduced (prorated) based on your actual enrollment level each term.

This means you may not receive the full annual loan amount shown on your award. Instead, your loan will be adjusted to reflect the number of credits you are taking during that term.

As long as their business has fewer than 100 employees or they live on the family farm, they do not need to report the business as an asset on the FAFSA.

Yes, as long as your Pell grant and other scholarships are not greater than your Cost of Attendance (COA). If your total grants and scholarships are greater than your COA, institutional grants and scholarships would be reduced, and then the Pell grant if necessary would also be reduced, to fit within the COA. You can no longer receive Pell over COA.