About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of new federal student loan borrowing limits on graduate students and the implications for advanced degrees.

Starting July 1, a cap on federal student loan borrowing limits kicks in. Graduate students will soon only be able to take out $20,500 a year, and up to $100,000 in total; the cap is higher for some professional programs, like medicine or law. But all this could mean new barriers to advanced degrees for students with little or no credit. Plus, we look at the ever-shrinking consumer cushion. And, what happened to talks of a proposed Spirit bailout?

People in this episode

Host: Marketplace

Topics covered

• student loans
• graduate programs
• financial barriers
• consumer economy
• Spirit bailout

Keywords

• student loans
• graduate education
• borrowing limits
• credit
• consumer cushion
• Spirit bailout

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spirit

Places: medicine, law

More episodes of Marketplace All-in-One

• How ICE skirts public input on detention centers · May 5, 2026 · 7 min
• The rise of the side hustle · May 5, 2026 · 7 min
• Can AI improve your odds of finding good childcare? · May 5, 2026 · 9 min
• What are checks? · May 5, 2026 · 31 min
• Consumers might see some tariff refunds — in 2036 · May 4, 2026 · 26 min
• Fewer Americans are earning a living wage · May 4, 2026 · 7 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Marketplace All-in-One podcast page.