President Trump’s new One Big Beautiful Bill threatens student financial aid at UMW

by MEREDITH MORRIS & MEAGHAN VAN DYKE

Staff Writer & News Editor

The University of Mary Washington’s reputation as one of Virginia’s cheapest public universities may soon no longer be a reality for many students.

This comes after President Trump signed his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) into law on July 1, 2026, limiting financial aid options for university students.

According to an email sent from the financial aid office to students on June 22, “Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits per semester to be eligible for Direct Loans.”
“If you do not enroll in 12+ credits in the Fall semester, your Direct Loan will decrease in the Spring semester,” the email continued.

Loans majorly changed due to OBBBA on July 1, 2026. These changes went into effect this semester and will not change again until July 1, 2028.

According to NBC News, students taking out financial aid loans may face loan restrictions and changes in their payment plan options.

Under the new bill, students can now borrow only $257,500 in their lifetime. Students studying professions such as law or medicine can apply for up to $200,000. The OBBBA has an “interim exception” period that ends in the 2029 to 2030 academic year.

“It limits how much people can get and it’s really annoying because it’s for people to pay for college when it’s not exactly the most affordable sometimes, especially now,” said senior biomedical major Tatiana Rodas.

The OBBBA also eliminates Biden-era financial aid programs in favor of two new financial aid options.

Under the first program, students can take out loans adjusted based on gross annual income. If a student’s family makes less than $10,000 a month, the student must still pay at least $10 a month.

Under the second Tiered Standard Plan, students can take out loans based on their outstanding loan balance after 10-25 years. This plan seeks to lower high interest rates for students.

As the bill takes effect across the country, Mary Washington students say they are bracing for changes to their financial aid plans that may force them to change the number of classes they’re taking and their status as an on-campus student.

“Because I’m on Chapter 35, I have to stay above 12 credits, so that doesn’t really affect me. That being said, if I were to have a reason to go below, I cannot lose my funding and part of that too is because of these student loan caps,” stated Mia Guillie, a senior marketing major.

“I have to commute; I stopped receiving financial aid after my sophomore year,” Rodas said.

Many students like Rodas already began experiencing issues obtaining funding for their studies before the OBBBA began, with stricter loan caps and fewer funding options than before.

“Last year my total grant money from the government was almost $8,000 and then this year it was, I think, $3,000,” stated Guillie.

Other students also expressed frustration around UMW’s communication about the financial aid changes.

“I haven’t applied anymore for financial aid because I see no point and because UMW’s financial aid office really hasn’t reached out to help give me any options,” Rodas stated.

For out-of-state students such as senior historic preservation major Naomi Curran, the trouble of changing restrictions and programs is especially concerning.

“This is my last year, but if I decide to go to grad school, it will not be in my home state of Alabama,” Curran said. “I don’t qualify for residency in Virginia yet. Obviously it’s definitely something that’s really worrying.”

According to NBC, government officials have also expressed concerns over the loan programs specifically targeting lower-income families, with less room for loan repayment mobility and loan caps.

“When you lower the amount of total money, you run the risk of people not being able to get anything or people not being able to get equity,” Curran said.

Without old student loan programs, Guillie also worries that higher education may become less achievable for students of varying financial need.

“The government can give you a third of what you need. Your school is giving you a fourth; the rest of that you can make up on your own. That is directly showing what the barrier to entry is for everyone who doesn’t have a spare $100,000,” Guillie said.

As of now, UMW admissions continues to advertise the school as an affordable quality liberal arts education. However, as the nation braces for change, Curran says the university must be ready to help students through new challenges.

“As long as they maintain their grant programs as best as possible, their in-house scholarship programs as best as possible, I think that there’s nothing UMW can do in terms of this,” Curran said.

Due to writer error, a Sept. 4 article titled “President Trump’s new One Big Beautiful Bill threatens student financial aid at UMW” incorrectly spelled Mia Guillie’s last name.