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Starting July 1, 2026, as part of provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will significantly reduce students’ access to federal student loans.

New borrowers for graduate programs will only be able to borrow $20,500 annually ($100,000 aggregate) in federal student loans. Students in “professional” programs will be able to borrow $50,000 annually ($200,000 aggregate).

Despite the counseling community’s strong advocacy—including hundreds of comments submitted to the Department of Education by organizations such as the �ֲ���ý, as well as the demonstrated qualifications and hard work of counseling students—counseling programs have been classified as general graduate programs and are therefore subject to the lower annual borrowing limit of $20,500.

�ֲ���ýis deeply disappointed with this decision. While the Administration intends for this policy to encourage schools to reduce tuition, we are concerned that the burden will instead fall on students.

Even if this policy contains rising education costs, many graduate programs already cost more than $20,500 annually. Students who cannot cover the cost of tuition with federal loans may be pushed towards expensive private lenders or discouraged from pursuing counseling altogether.

We urge Congress to support the counseling community by increasing their access to federal student loans. Join us in advocating for counseling students by

• ,
• , and
• Telling your legislators to support counselor education.

Together, let’s advocate for counseling students and investment in education!

If you would like to become involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts, please contact us at advocacy@counseling.org.