FILE - Students walk on the South Park Blocks at Portland State University on November 4, 2025.
Tiffany Camhi / OPB
Big changes are in store for the federal student loan program. President Trump’s tax and spending bill, which was signed into law last summer, ends a supplemental loan for graduate students and caps the amount they can borrow from the government. It also allows students in professional programs, such as law and medicine, to borrow more than students in other graduate programs, such as nursing or social work.
The bill reduces students’ loan repayment options from seven to two. It also phases out the Biden-era SAVE plan, which was the most flexible income-driven repayment option.
Jennifer Bell is the director of financial aid at Portland State University. Susan Bakewell-Sachs is the vice president of nursing affairs and dean of the School of Nursing at Oregon Health & Science University. They join us to discuss what the changes could mean for students who rely on loans, particularly to get advanced degrees.
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