Money · Guide

Paying for PA school: the 2026 loan limits

By The Prereq Club, a pre-PA student and her mom (not PAs or admissions advisers). Every program rule below names its source and the month we checked it: October 2026.

Short answer

Federal loans for PA school changed on July 1, 2026, and part of the change is still in court. Grad PLUS loans are gone for new borrowing. For now, Federal Student Aid treats PA programs as professional-degree programs while a court order is in place, under which eligible PA students may be able to borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total in Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Schools can set lower limits, and the Department has suggested schools consider keeping these programs at the lower graduate limits while the case continues. The order is preliminary, so this could change. Ask each school which limit it applies.

What changed on July 1, 2026

  • Grad PLUS ended. Grad PLUS loans aren't available for any period of instruction starting on or after July 1, 2026, except under the narrow exception below. Congress ended them by law, and PAEA says the court case doesn't restore them.
  • New limits on Direct Unsubsidized Loans: $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total for graduate students, and $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total for students in professional degree programs.
  • Totals include earlier federal loans. The $200,000 professional total drops by anything you borrowed as a graduate student, and a $257,500 lifetime cap counts your undergraduate federal loans too.
  • A narrow exception: students who were already enrolled in their program as of June 30, 2026, and had received a Direct Loan for that program before July 1, 2026, can keep borrowing under the old rules, including Grad PLUS, as long as they stay continuously enrolled in the same program at the same school (an approved leave of absence doesn't count as a break), for up to three academic years or until the program ends, whichever comes first. Students starting PA school now don't qualify, even if they had undergraduate loans.

Where PA students stand now

DateWhat happened
May 1, 2026The Department of Education's final rule declined to classify PA programs as professional degree programs, which would have limited new PA borrowers to $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total
June 3, 2026AAPA and PAEA sued the Department of Education in federal court in Washington, D.C.
June 24, 2026Judge Beryl A. Howell temporarily stayed part of the Department's "professional degree" definition while the case continues. PAEA calls the order "a preliminary ruling, not a final decision on the merits"
June 26, 2026A Federal Student Aid Dear Colleague letter (GEN-26-02) explains schools' new authority to set lower, program-level loan limits
June 29, 2026 (last updated Oct 23, 2026)Federal Student Aid's interim list treats Physician Associate/Assistant programs (CIP 51.0912) as professional-degree programs for the duration of the court's stay, and says the designations may change as the litigation proceeds. The Department says it "is confident that the professional degree definition … is lawful and will continue to defend it."
October 23, 2026In a joint update, AAPA and PAEA (the plaintiffs) said PA students' "current borrowing eligibility remains unchanged" and the June relief "remains in effect." They say summary-judgment briefing is scheduled to conclude in early December (PAEA's Sept 29, 2026 update gives the date as December 4, 2026)

Why it matters

AAPA, one of the groups suing, says that at most PA programs average tuition is "several times higher" than the $20,500 annual limit, before fees and living costs. Costs vary a lot. At UNC Chapel Hill, for example, estimated tuition for the whole two-year program (published for the Class of 2027; later classes may pay more) is $62,142 for North Carolina residents and $109,034 for nonresidents, plus $6,550 in fees, and then living costs.

What to do

  1. Ask each program's financial aid office what federal loan limit it's applying to PA students right now, and what it will do if the court order changes.
  2. Build a full cost estimate for each program: tuition, fees and living costs for the whole program. Check whether a published tuition figure is per year or for the whole program.
  3. Count your existing federal loans toward the totals above.
  4. Plan for a gap. Ask programs about scholarships and other aid, and compare costs before you choose where to apply.
  5. Watch for updates from Federal Student Aid, and from PAEA and AAPA, which are following the case.

This guide explains public rules as of October 29, 2026, and isn't financial or legal advice. Loan rules and the court case can change; confirm details with Federal Student Aid and each school's financial aid office.

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Quick answers

How much can PA students borrow in federal loans in 2026?

For now, Federal Student Aid treats PA programs as professional-degree programs while a court order is in place. That means eligible PA students may be able to borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, minus earlier graduate borrowing. But the order is preliminary, and the Department of Education has suggested schools consider keeping PA loans at the lower graduate limits ($20,500 a year, $100,000 total) while the case continues. Ask each school which limit it applies.

Are Grad PLUS loans still available for PA school?

Not for new borrowing. Grad PLUS isn't available for any period of instruction starting on or after July 1, 2026. The only exception covers students who were enrolled in their program as of June 30, 2026, had received a Direct Loan for that program before July 1, 2026, and stay continuously enrolled in the same program at the same school. It lasts up to three academic years or until the program ends, whichever comes first. Students starting PA school now don't qualify.

Sources (all opened October 2026)

Rules can change from one cycle to the next. Before you count on any of this, check each program's own admissions page or email the program. This guide is educational only and isn't admissions advice.