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On July 4, 2025, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed into law, ushering in significant changes to federal student aid. While many details are still forthcoming, most provisions are set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
To help you stay informed, SFS has outlined what we currently know about the legislation. Please keep in mind that details and timelines may continue to evolve. We will continue to monitor developments and share pertinent updates with the Northeastern community on this webpage as they become available.
We anticipate further details on who will qualify for legacy provisions. In general, borrowers who meet the criteria to be considered as current borrowers will retain access to current loan limits and borrowing programs for the expected time to credential or three academic years, whichever is shorter. The “expected time to credential” is based on full-time enrollment.
Graduate PLUS loans will no longer be available for periods of instruction beginning after June 30, 2026, except for current borrowers subject to legacy provisions.
| Borrower Type | Annual Limit | Aggregate Limit | Pre-Reconcilliation Aggregate Limit | Lifetime Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate Students | $20,500 in graduate direct unsubsidized loan | $100,000 in graduate direct unsubsidized loan | $138,500 in direct loans, including undergraduate loans, excluding PLUS, Up to Cost of Attendance in Grad PLUS | $257,500 across all federal loan programs, including undergraduate loans |
| Professional Students* | $50,000 in graduate direct unsubsidized loan | $200,000 in graduate direct unsubsidized loan | $138,500 in direct loans, including undergraduate loans, excluding PLUS, Up to Cost of Attendance in Grad PLUS | $257,500 across all federal loan programs, including undergraduate loans |
| Parent PLUS (per dependent student) | $20,000 | $65,000 | Up to Cost of Attendance | N/A |
*Further clarification is expected on the definition of “professional student.”
Borrowers with no new loans on or after July 1, 2026 will be required to transition out of existing income-based plans by July 1, 2028 and will have to transition to one of the following options
Borrowers who have new loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026 will have their repayment options limited to:
This information is based on new legislation, and we expect further details to emerge. We will update this page as new guidance becomes available. For more information and to stay up to date with the most recent developments, please refer to the Federal Student Aid website.
We are actively monitoring proposed changes to federal financial aid. If any updates directly impact students’ current or future eligibility, we will post those details here and reach out to affected students individually.
If you have any questions, please be in touch through our Contact Us page.
For both incoming and returning students, the 2025-2026 FAFSA opened on November 21, 2024. Please visit The FAFSA section of the Federal Student Aid website for more information and to complete the application.
2025-26 Financial Aid Processing
For those who complete their FAFSA and CSS profile ahead of the priority filing deadline, financial aid processing timelines will return to normal for the 2025-2026 academic year. We encourage you to log into your Student Hub to review your financial aid status and address any requests for further information (see I’m a current Northeastern student, how can I see what the Financial Aid Office still needs from me?).
If there are any future updates from the Department of Education regarding the Better FAFSA, they will be posted here.
We hope your academic year is off to a wonderful start. Student Financial Services is here to support your educational journey at Northeastern and we want to provide you with an important update regarding financial aid processing.
2024-25 Financial Aid Processing
In light of ongoing federal delays and technical issues with the Better FAFSA, we are working diligently to minimize delays in financial aid delivery to students. Most students who met priority filing deadlines and have responded to requests for additional information have had their financial aid disbursed to their student billing account for the Fall term. However, some processing delays continue. We understand that timely access to financial aid is crucial, and we appreciate your patience.
We encourage you to log into your Student Hub to review your financial aid status and address any requests for further information (see I’m a current Northeastern student, how can I see what the Financial Aid Office still needs from me?).
Additionally, you can explore the SFS Service Portal to find answers to frequently asked questions.
2025-26 Financial Aid Processing
Looking ahead, the Department of Education has announced that the 2025-26 FAFSA will be available to students by December 1, 2024. While the FAFSA typically opens on October 1, this delay should not affect your aid processing if you meet priority filing deadlines and respond promptly to any requests for more information. Please navigate to the appropriate page below to learn more about your financial aid application filing deadlines.
Undergraduate Incoming Students
Undergraduate Returning Students
We are pleased to inform you that Financial Aid processing for the 2024-2025 academic year is well underway. Due to new processes and ongoing federal delays associated with the Better FAFSA, some students may receive additional communications with important action items from our office.
We ask that you monitor your email for any updates or requests from our office or the US Department of Education, and respond promptly to ensure a smooth processing experience. Additionally, we encourage you to log into your Student Hub to review your financial aid status and address any requests for further information (see I’m a current Northeastern student, how can I see what the Financial Aid Office still needs from me?).
Note that students who have indicated interest in financial aid will not be packaged institutional aid or merit scholarships until Federal Aid eligibility has been determined. Federal and institutional aid are provided together, and you will receive an email notice once your aid is ready to view in the Student Hub. If you are no longer interested in Federal Aid consideration, see here. Otherwise, please continue to review communications from Student Financial Services and check your Student Hub.
We urge students to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA online as soon as possible, using Northeastern’s school code: 002199. Visit the FAFSA Pro Tips page for helpful guidance on submitting your FAFSA, and SFS Knowledge Base for information on Federal changes to aid. Please refer to our March 15 update below for more detailed information based on student type.
Also, we want to share recent updates regarding student corrections to the FAFSA and FAFSA completion for students whose parents or spouses do not have social security numbers.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that students are now able to make corrections to a 2024-2025 FAFSA that has already been processed. Corrections can be made by logging into your StudentAid.gov account. Please visit this page for more information.
You may need to make a correction to your FAFSA if you made a mistake or need to add a school, including Northeastern (school code: 002199). You may also need to make a correction if you or a FAFSA contributor did not provide consent and approval for the Department of Education to retrieve and disclose federal tax information to complete the FAFSA. All FAFSA contributors must provide consent and approval even if they did not file a tax return or are not a U.S. citizen. Without all contributors’ consent and approval, you will be ineligible for federal financial aid.
Please review your FAFSA Submission Summary by logging into StudentAid.gov to see your FAFSA response. Please pay special attention to any items on the “Next Steps” page that indicate if a correction or additional information is needed on your FAFSA. Please be aware that due to Federal delays, it may take several weeks for the receipt of your FAFSA to be reflected in our systems.
The Department of Education has stated that the technical issue preventing contributors (most often parents or spouses) without Social Security Numbers from completing the FAFSA has been resolved. However, there are still several technical issues you may face while filling out the FAFSA, and we urge you to review this page before and while completing the FAFSA. We encourage students to take note of the Department of Education’s recommendation for both students and parents to create their FSA IDs prior to starting the FAFSA, as well as their recommendation that the student, rather than the parent, begin the FAFSA form.
For further assistance with completing the FAFSA, please visit studentaid.gov/help-center/contact.
While the new 2024-2025 FAFSA is available to complete online now, the U.S. Department of Education is delayed in providing FAFSA information to schools. We anticipate that we will begin receiving FAFSA information in small batches beginning in late March and expect we will receive all completed FAFSAs in the weeks following.
To ensure a smooth process, we urge you to complete your 2024-2025 FAFSA online as soon as possible, using Northeastern’s school code: 002199. Visit the FAFSA Pro Tips page for helpful guidance on submitting your FAFSA, and SFS Knowledge Base for information on Federal changes to aid.
If you already submitted your 2024-2025 FAFSA application electronically, you may expect an email from the U.S. Department of Education in the coming weeks notifying you when your FAFSA has been processed. Upon receipt of that email, you should be able to view your FAFSA status on StudentAid.Gov. Make sure that you have added Northeastern to your school list, using school code: 002199. Please be aware that due to Federal delays, it may take several weeks for the receipt of your FAFSA to be reflected in our systems.
We are diligently preparing for the receipt of your FAFSA information and will continue working to provide you with your aid offer after your FAFSA information has been released to Northeastern. You may find more information by student type below.
To apply for financial aid consideration, please complete the 2024-2025 CSS Profile and the FAFSA as soon as possible. You will be issued a tentative aid offer based on the CSS Profile and other documents requested on your Application Status Check Portal, until the time that we receive your FAFSA from the U.S. Department of Education. If your aid offer includes Federal or State grants, loans, or work study, you must complete the FAFSA to confirm your eligibility.
As a reminder, the priority FAFSA filing deadline for current students is April 1, and students should file their 2024-2025 FAFSA as soon as possible. To ensure a smooth process, please respond promptly to email requests for additional information or document requests reflected on your Student Hub. Please visit the FAFSA Pro Tips page for helpful guidance on submitting your FAFSA and the SFS Knowledge Base to learn more about Federal changes to aid.
Students should file their 2024-2025 FAFSA as soon as possible. To ensure a smooth process, please respond promptly to requests for additional information and documents by email or reflected on your Student Hub. Please visit the FAFSA Pro Tips page for helpful guidance on submitting your FAFSA, and SFS Knowledge Base for information on Federal changes to aid.
As a reminder, the priority FAFSA filing deadline for current students was February 15. You may file the FAFSA after the priority filing deadline, but please be aware that funding is limited. You may contact [email protected] for an estimate of need-based grant eligibility. To ensure a smooth process, please respond promptly to email requests for additional information or documents reflected on your Student Hub. Please visit the FAFSA Pro Tips page for helpful guidance on submitting your FAFSA, and SFS Knowledge Base for information on Federal changes to aid.
Students should file their 2024-2025 FAFSA as soon as possible. Please expect communications by email in the coming weeks from the Law Financial Aid office with details on what to expect for Summer financial aid disbursements.
If you are a Federal Aid–eligible student whose parent or spouse does not have a Social Security Number, we understand that technical issues with the FAFSA may be preventing you from completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA. While the Department of Education is working to resolve these issues, they have provided a 9–step process in which your FAFSA will be timestamped with a submission date, although your application will be considered incomplete until the issue impacting your FAFSA is fixed and your parent/spouse is able to complete their portion of the application. We encourage you to follow these steps until the issues are resolved. Once we have received your FAFSA information, we will work diligently to review your FAFSA and aid eligibility.