Important Update
This page is for informational purposes only and is based on the current understanding of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s final rules implemented by the U.S. Department of Education.
Effective July 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will introduce significant updates to federal financial aid. These changes primarily impact new Federal Direct Loan borrowers and students enrolled less than full-time.
- New Students: First-year, transfer, and graduate students starting after June 30, 2026, will be subject to the new program policies.
- Returning Students: You may qualify for legacy provisions, allowing you to complete your current program under previous financial aid policies.
Last updated: May 27, 2026
Impacts for All Students
Less-Than-Full-Time Enrollment and Loan Proration
Beginning July 1, 2026, federal student loan eligibility must be adjusted based on your enrollment status. Please note that legacy borrowers are still subject to these enrollment-based proration requirements. The new law requires your annual loan amounts to be reduced in direct proportion to your exact credit load. This change is effective for all loans borrowed for the 2026-27 academic year and forward, except Parent PLUS loans.
Your baseline eligibility is determined at the time of disbursement by comparing your current credit load against what is expected of a full-time student over the academic year:
- Undergraduate Students: 12+ credit hours per semester
- Graduate and Professional Students: 9+ credit hours per semester
- Law JD Students (Full-Time and Part-Time): 12+ credit hours per semester
- Law LLM Students: 9+ credit hours per semester
Starting with the 2026-27 academic year, annual limits for Federal Direct Loans will be adjusted based on your enrollment status.
- Enrolled Full-Time: Standard, maximum federal loan limits apply.
- Enrolled Less Than Full-Time: Your maximum annual loan limits will be automatically reduced based on your exact enrollment intensity.
Important Note: We will update this page with further guidance as soon as the U.S. Department of Education releases final technical specifications.
The new law requires annual loan amounts to be reduced in direct proportion to your enrollment status. This change applies to all loans borrowed for the 2026-27 academic year. Your eligibility will be determined at the time of disbursement based on the number of credits a full-time student is expected to take for the academic year.
If a student is enrolled full-time, standard loan limits apply.
Withdrawing or Taking a Leave of Absence
The federal legacy provision requires continuous, uninterrupted enrollment. If you withdraw from UNLV or take a break and return after July 1, 2026, you will lose your legacy status and become subject to the new OBBBA loan caps.
This strict federal rule applies to all forms of enrollment separation, including:
- Approved Institutional Leaves: Official university tracks, such as a Personal Leave of Absence or a Voluntary Health Withdrawal.
- Complete Withdrawals/Failures: Students are subject to federal Return to Title IV (R2T4) regulations if they withdraw from or fail all courses in a single semester.
Before planning a break or completely withdrawing from a term, we strongly recommend speaking with a financial aid counselor to understand exactly how your future loan limits will be impacted.
Rules for Dual-Degree Programs
If you are concurrently enrolled in a professional degree program and a graduate degree program, your federal funding limits will be managed to prevent "stackable" limits.
The More Than 50% Enrollment Rule: You are strictly subject to the loan limits of whichever program accounts for more than 50% of your total credit hours. Loan limits from your two separate programs cannot be combined or stacked on top of one another.
- Legacy Provisions: If you are already actively enrolled in both programs and have borrowed federal student loans for them prior to July 1, 2026, you will remain protected under OBBBA’s legacy provisions. Entering a new dual-degree program after July 1, 2026, will subject you to the new, non-stackable caps.
Important Note: We are currently awaiting further technical guidance from the U.S. Department of Education regarding dual-degree structural tracking. We will update this section with further specifications as soon as they become available.
Loan Repayment, Forgiveness, and Deferment Options
The OBBBA completely restructures student loan repayment plans and establishes new guidelines for students navigating multi-degree programs.
Information for Alumni & Graduates (Before July 2026)
If you are graduating in summer 2026 or have already completed your degree at UNLV, your repayment options will expand to include the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) alongside standard fixed options.
- The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP): A new income-driven option where monthly payments are calculated as 1% to 10% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). RAP features a critical interest subsidy: if your calculated payment is too small to cover your monthly accruing interest, the federal government waives the remainder—preventing your loan balance from growing.
- Income-Based Repayment (IBR): Monthly payments remain calculated at 10% to 15% of your discretionary income.
- Traditional Fixed Plans: The Standard 10-year plan, as well as Graduated and Extended plans (spanning 10 to 30 years), remain available.
- Sunsetting Plans (PAYE & ICR): The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plans will only remain available until July 1, 2028. After this date, borrowers on these tracks must transition to IBR or RAP.
- Forgiveness Track: Both IBR and RAP qualify for the 10-year Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and institutional Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP). Outside of PSLF, IBR loans are forgiven after 20 to 25 years, while RAP loans require 30 years of repayment.
- Elimination of Specific Deferments: Economic hardship and unemployment deferments are being discontinued. To manage financial difficulties moving forward, you may use general forbearances (capped at 9 months within 24 months) or request a reduction in your RAP payment to a minimum of $10 per month.
Additional Impacts According to Student Classification
There may be additional impacts to your loans depending on your student classification. Please visit the following pages for more information.
Questions?
Visit the Department of Education’s Loan Limits FAQs (last updated May 20, 2026) or contact the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships via the Rebel Success Hub.