At the end of the 2025–2026 academic year, the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan will no longer be available as a federal financial aid option. Continuing students may be eligible for “legacy” status, which allows them to continue receiving Graduate PLUS Loan funding until they graduate or until 2029, whichever comes first.
To receive and maintain legacy status (and Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility), all the following must be true:
- You received a Federal Direct Loan during the 2025–2026 academic year;
- You remain continuously enrolled throughout your time as a legacy student; and
- You complete your program within the expected time to credential. For UWSOM, this means within 4 years or 16 total quarters.
As a result, students who have already been enrolled in the School of Medicine for 4 years or longer may not qualify for legacy status beginning in Summer 2026. These students will lose Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility entirely and may experience a significant reduction in federal loan eligibility. Similarly, students who require more than 16 quarters to complete medical school will lose legacy status once they have completed their 16th quarter, even if they have not yet graduated.
In addition, federal regulations now require us to reduce federal loan eligibility for students enrolled less than full-time. For UWSOM students, full-time enrollment is 48 credits per academic year (45 credits for students completing Triple I). If you enroll in fewer credits, your annual federal loan eligibility will be reduced accordingly.
Please review the attached flowchart to determine whether you may qualify for legacy status. If you are unsure how these changes apply to your situation, we encourage you to schedule a meeting or attend office hours. We recognize that these changes may be difficult to navigate, and we will do everything we can to help you understand your options and plan accordingly.
Please note that these changes require a substantial increase in manual review for the financial aid office, so our response time may be a bit slower than other times of year. We will still work to get back to students as quickly as possible!