How Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is Impacting Students’ Financial Aid

As provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) take effect for the 2026-27 academic year, WSUV students who rely on federal financial aid may be seeing changes to how much they can borrow and which federal aid programs they can access.  

The federal legislation, signed into law July 4, 2025, made changes to several federal student aid programs, with most of the changes taking effect July 1, 2026. According to Campus Director of Student Financial Services, Natalie Marquez, the changes students at WSUV are noticing most are related to their federal student loans.  

“Loan proration” is one of the biggest changes for both undergraduate and graduate students. According to Marquez, under the new rules, students who are enrolled less than full-time receive a reduced federal loan amount based on their course credit load. Previously, students enrolled at least half-time could receive their full federal student loan amount. 

For example, a student enrolled in 12 credits worth of classes would still receive their full loan amount, while a student enrolled in six credits would receive about half of the amount they would have received at full-time enrollment, Marquez explained.  

The change also means students who drop classes during the semester could see their previously awarded loans reduced to reflect their new enrollment level, according to WSUV’s financial aid information.  

“The biggest one [change] that we’re seeing for this academic year is that loan proration,” Marquez said. “Students may be expecting more of a financial aid refund or maybe expecting more loan coverage for their tuition. But it’s based on their number of credits as opposed to how it was before.” 

For students already trying to balance tuition, living expenses, and other costs, a smaller loan amount could create questions about how to cover those remaining expenses. 

Marquez said Student Financial Services have been receiving questions from students about the different amounts.  

“We have students coming in with, you know, ‘I got this last year, but I’m getting this this year,’” Marquez said. “From what we’re hearing, it’s just more students wanting more clarity on what’s happening with their financial aid and why this changed.”  

According to Marquez, the office is also hearing concerns about affordability from students whose aid has decreased. Staff have been connecting students with other resources, including scholarship opportunities and WSUV’s basic needs navigator. 

Marquez explained that the impact on financial aid that students are facing is very individualized, as everyone’s financial situation is different. Some people may have significant changes to their aid while other students are seeing little to no effects.  

“More than 80% of WSU Vancouver students receive some form of financial aid, including grants, scholarships, work-study, and student loans,” said Marquez. “Because the new federal changes affect different student populations in different ways, the impact will vary by student.”  

Marquez surmised that “grad students and professional students may see the most impact, especially new ones coming in.” This is largely because the Graduate PLUS Loan has been eliminated. New graduate students can no longer receive this aid, which previously allowed eligible graduate students to borrow up to the cost of attendance for their program.  

New federal borrowing limits also apply to graduate and professional students. Graduate students are limited to $20,500 per year and $100,000 in aggregate federal borrowing, while professional students are limited to $50,000 annually and $200,000 in aggregate borrowing, according to WSUV’s financial aid information. 

“They have higher costs, but their loans have been limited…they have lower funding options available,” said Marquez about graduate and professional students.  

Parent PLUS Loans, which parents can use to help pay for a dependent student’s education, are also subject to new federal limits. Parent PLUS borrowing is now capped at $20,000 per year and $65,000 in total per dependent student. Previously, there was no federal cap on the amount parents could borrow through the program. 

Changes to the Federal Pell Grant program could also affect some students. Those whose scholarships or other aid already meet or exceed their cost of attendance are no longer eligible for a Pell Grant, even if they otherwise qualify based on the FAFSA.  

Regarding these Pell Grant changes, Marquez said that “we don’t see that very often here on our campus…the loan piece is mostly what students are noticing.”  

Marquez said repayment options are one area where changes are still developing, although she does not currently anticipate another major change to financial aid this academic year. 

For now, Marquez said the financial aid office is still working through guidance surrounding the new rules. “If there is something that we do need clarity on, we do reach out to our professional organizations that work at the national level to try to get some answers to that.” 

Marquez emphasized the importance of adaptability while working in Student Financial Services. Referring to the announcement of how the federal legislation will affect financial aid, Marquez said that “we know changes come. As financial administrators, we are constantly looking at policy changes, and we’re trying to [determine] how do we fix our processes? How does this impact our students? If we change this, how does this change this?”  

The changing guidance has also affected how the office communicates with students. Marquez said staff have become more cautious about providing definitive answers when they are not certain about a rule and may follow up with students after confirming information. 

“We don’t want to give a student wrong information,” Marquez said. “There’s times that we do have to tell students, ‘Hey, I don’t know the answer right now, but let me follow up with you.’” 

The office has also been sending email notifications when changes are expected to affect a large number of students. WSUV’s financial aid website includes a page dedicated to the OBBBA that is updated as new guidance becomes available. 

Marquez encouraged students to pay attention to their WSUV email accounts, especially for communications from financial aid, and to avoid assuming that another student’s experience will be the same as theirs. 

“Every student’s situation is different,” Marquez said. “I don’t want them to think that that’s going to be their same experience.” 

Students who are unsure how the changes affect their aid can contact Student Financial Services for help reviewing their financial aid package and understanding their available options. 

Marquez said the office’s goal is to help students navigate the changes as more information becomes available. 

“I would just tell students, again, as I mentioned, stay informed, and if you have questions, please come see us,” Marquez said. “We are happy to meet with students.”