How Much You Should Borrow for Grad School is Totally Different Now

About this episode

This episode discusses the changes in financing graduate and professional school due to new federal loan limits and the implications for borrowing.

Graduate and professional school just got a lot trickier to finance. With the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act slashing federal loan limits in 2026, figuring out how much you should borrow and whether private loans make sense is a whole different ballgame. We examine old vs. new borrowing math, which degrees might justify taking out private loans, where the ROI completely falls apart, and how the profession you choose could make or break your financial future. Key moments: (01:13) Why borrowing used to function like a 10% “income tax” (04:50) Who benefits from the old system vs. new 2026 rules (06:40) Careers where high borrowing still makes financial sense (10:08) Professions where private loans require careful planning (22:02) Fields where private loans can seriously hurt your finances Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Follow on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or Amazon Music Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to the newsletter Join SLP Insiders for student loan loopholes, SLP app and member community Feeling helpless when it comes to your student loans? Try our free student loan calculator Check out our refinancing bonuses we negotiated Book your…

People in this episode

Host: Travis Hornsby

Topics covered

• graduate school financing
• federal loan limits
• private loans
• return on investment
• financial planning

Keywords

• student loans
• borrowing
• financial future
• ROI
• private loans

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB)

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