Undergraduate Federal Aid Updates

The Limited Exception allows certain returning students to continue using the federal loan rules that were in place before July 1, 2026. Students who qualify are often called legacy borrowers.

To qualify, you must:

• Have been enrolled in your current program on June 30, 2026;
• Have received a Federal Direct Loan for that same program before July 1, 2026; and
• Remain continuously enrolled in the same program.

Eligible legacy parent borrowers may continue to borrow Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans and remain subject to the prior loan limits for 3 academic years or the remainder of their dependent student’s expected time to credential, whichever is less.

Expected Time to Credential (ETC) is the amount of time you may remain eligible under the Limited Exception. It is based on the standard full-time length of your program.

Your ETC is the shorter of:

• Three academic years; or
• The time remaining in your program’s published length as of July 1, 2026.

For example, if you were one year into a four-year program on July 1, 2026, your ETC would be three academic years. Part-time enrollment, repeated courses, or other delays do not extend your ETC.

What happens when I reach my ETC?

Once you reach your ETC, your parent is no longer eligible to borrow a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan for that program. You may still be eligible for Federal Direct Loans, subject to federal annual and aggregate loan limits.

The Limited Exception applies only while you remain enrolled in the same program and have remaining expected time to credential. It may end if you:

• Withdraw from your program or from all coursework. Returning to Tufts later does not restore the exception.
• Complete or graduate from your program.
• Change to a new program. For example, moving from a 4+1 bachelor’s program into the master’s portion.
• Reach your expected time to credential. Taking additional time because of part-time enrollment, repeated courses, or other delays does not extend this period.

Dropping one course or reducing your enrollment level does not, by itself, end the Limited Exception as long as you remain enrolled in your program. 

Not necessarily. Having borrowed federal loans before your leave does not by itself establish legacy borrower status. To qualify for the Limited Exception, you must have been enrolled in the same program on June 30, 2026, received a Federal Direct Loan for that program before July 1, 2026, and return to the same program.

An approved leave of absence does not automatically make you ineligible, but eligibility must be reviewed based on your individual enrollment history. For help determining your eligibility, please contact your aid counselor.

Beginning with the 2026–27 academic year, annual and aggregate Parent PLUS Loan limits for undergraduate students are changing:

Undergraduate programs: up to $20,000 per academic year, with a $65,000 aggregate limit.

Once the $65,000 lifetime limit has been reached, your parent will not be eligible for additional Parent PLUS Loans.

Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, federal Direct Loan eligibility will be reduced (prorated) for undergraduate students who are enrolled less than full-time but more than half-time. This calculation is called the Schedule of Reductions (SOR).

At Tufts, full-time undergraduate enrollment is: 12 credits per term, or 24 credits per academic year.

New federal regulations require colleges and universities to calculate loan eligibility based on a student's annual enrollment intensity.

Example: Student enrolled in 9 credits in the Fall and 12 credits in the Spring

Rather than receiving the full $5,500 annual loan limit, the student's maximum Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility for the year would be approximately $4,840 based on the student's enrollment intensity.

Undergraduate students considering dropping a course, withdrawing from a class, or enrolling less-than full-time should contact their aid counselor before making any changes. Enrollment changes may reduce federal loan eligibility and could result in a balance due if loan funds have already been disbursed.

Yes. SOR rules apply to all federal student loans, including Parent PLUS Loans received by students with legacy eligibility.

If you need additional funding after using your available federal loans, you may consider a private educational loan. Private loans are credit-based, and eligibility, interest rates, and repayment terms vary by lender.

You may review options through Tufts’ preferred lender list or apply directly with the lender of your choice.

Please contact your aid counselor. They will be happy to clarify these new regulations and how they may affect you.