A coalition of dental organizations has called on the Department of Education to modify implementation dates for upcoming student loan changes.
Five notes:
1. Several federal student loan changes were established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including new repayment plans, revised loan limits and the phasing-out of the Graduate PLUS loan program.
2. Many of these changes are slated to go into effect July 1, which the coalition said differs from rules under the Higher Education Act that require final rules affecting federal student aid programs to be published by Nov. 1 and take effect the following July.
3. The Education Department has previously said the timeline regulations are waived because the rulemaking process could not be completed by Nov. 1 of last year, but the coalition said not following this timeline could lead to further confusion and administrative errors.
4. The coalition proposed delaying full implementation until July 1, 2027, while granting “early implementation” authority to institutions that are already prepared for the changes.
5. The coalition includes 11 groups, including the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
