A regular digest for UW faculty with updates on federal and national issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
Federal Landscape
Loan caps raised for some graduate students, lowered for others
The U.S. Department of Education announced last month significant new changes to the federal graduate student loan offerings as the result of new negotiated rules related to H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
As of July 1, 2026, the law will institute aggregate federal loan caps — meaning the maximum amount of money graduate and professional students may borrow in student loans from the federal government over their lifetime. The law differentiates the borrowing cap for these students depending on their course of study.
Students in programs deemed “professional” may borrow no more than $50,000 a year, for a lifetime maximum of $200,000 for graduate school and a lifetime limit of $257,500 in federal loans. Graduate students in other programs not considered “professional” may borrow no more than $20,500 a year, up to a lifetime maximum of $100,000 for graduate school. Currently, graduate and professional students are permitted to borrow up to $138,500 in subsidized and non-subsidized federal loans over a lifetime, which includes loans they received for undergraduate study.
While these new caps are higher than the existing caps, the law also eliminates the government-backed Grad PLUS Loans that pay costs not covered by financial aid up to the cost of attendance. Thus, resources available to students to finance their education will be reduced. While the situation remains fluid, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators explains the changes through a flow chart.
H.R.1 listed 10 programs as professional: Medicine (M.D.), Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S., D.M.D.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), Law (J.D., L.L.B.), Optometry (O.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Podiatry (D.P.M., Pod.D.), Chiropractic (D.C.), and Theology (M.Div., M.H.L.). After the bill passed, Clinical Psychology (Psy.D., Ph.D.) was added to that list through the negotiated rules process, which is standard after the passage of any legislation. The UW offers five of the degrees considered professional: M.D., Pharm.D., D.D.S., J.D. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Once the final rule is published in the Federal Register, it will be open for public comment. The University will respond to the proposed regulations in the public comment period, including with details on the serious negative impacts this policy would have on students seeking degrees not classified as “professional” by the rule and on the communities who depend on the graduates of these programs. In preparation for the comment period, the Board of Deans and Chancellors is meeting to discuss how units can best engage with UW Federal Relations to collect data for the comment period.
In addition to working with our federal delegation and other Washington universities, we continue to partner with national associations, businesses, and other stakeholders to advocate for changes to this restrictive rule.
The UW has been active on this issue since H.R.1 was first introduced. The UW has consistently advocated for changes to the legislation and raised potential impacts across the institution as a result of the legislation.
Key links
- Office of the Provost’s Federal Policy Updates
- UW Medicine’s Federal Policy Updates (UW NetID required)
- Office of Research’s Federal Policy Guidance
- UW Research Makes America
Tell us what you think
Genesis Mission for AI launched
President Trump signed Executive Order No. 14363, “Launching the Genesis Mission,” which establishes a coordinated national effort to unleash a new age of AI‑accelerated innovation and discovery. Check the UW Federal Relations site for details. Read about the UW’s initiative AI@UW announced last month.
Government reopening
Check UW Federal Relations’ website for information on the reopening and federal budget negotiations. The Office of Research continues to post federal administration updates, as well as guidance and possible impacts to researchers and research award administrators who are directly affected by federal policies and processes. UW Finance, Planning and Budgeting, as well as the UW Federal Relations team, are keeping leadership apprised of developments.
REMINDER: NIH extends deadlines to Dec. 8
As it resumes operations following the federal government shutdown, the National Institutes of Health has extended all deadlines to Dec. 8 for grants that were due between Oct. 1 to Dec. 5. Additional guidance on post-submission materials is available. For most study sections that were canceled and rescheduled, the percentage of applications discussed in most meetings will be reduced to 30%–35%, instead of the current 50%. The UW Office of Research has posted details and links regarding recent NIH notices.
International
Additional visa screening measures announced
U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services has announced additional visa screening measures for citizens of Afghanistan. Afghan citizens and citizens from 18 other countries were already subject to the entry ban announced in June. The UW’s International Scholars Operations and International Student Services have checked their records and have not identified any F-1 or J-1 Afghan students or scholars who would be impacted by this announcement.
Leadership
REMINDER: UW strategic planning
Get the latest on the UW’s strategic planning efforts, an inclusive, community-informed process to develop a plan that will guide the University through 2030 — one that is ambitious, rooted in the UW’s distinctive capabilities and regional assets, and accessible to the public. Have an idea that you would like the committee to consider? Want to ask a question about the planning process? Submit this form to tell us what you think.
Resources for Researchers & Instructors
Global Innovation Fund accepting applications now
The UW Global Innovation Fund is accepting applications for support for interdisciplinary research collaboration and global teaching and learning opportunities. UW faculty and staff may submit applications until the Jan. 31, 2026, deadline. Learn more from the UW Office of Global Affairs.
NSF requires security training
The National Science Foundation now requires research security training certificationsfrom UW proposers and individuals identified as senior/key personnel. Information is posted on the UW Office of Research security training webpage.
REMINDER: Open private funding opportunities for faculty, researchers
Faculty and researchers may search current open funding opportunities from private sources for their research and programs through a dashboard developed by the UW Corporate & Foundation Relations team.