President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts package, known as the ‘big beautiful bill,’ is changing the way aspiring doctors can finance their education. Starting this week, there is a cap on federal loans for professional programs such as medical, dental, and law school. It limits federal loans to $50,000 per year, with a total limit of $200,000.

Impact on Aspiring Doctors

Eddie Jiang, a recent graduate from Stony Brook University in New York, is reconsidering his plans to become a doctor due to the new loan caps. ‘It’s very jarring to me that money has become this important in my decision to become a doctor,’ said Jiang. The Association of American Medical Colleges says that almost half of students seeking an M.D. rely on Grad PLUS, and they borrow more than $1 billion via the program annually.

The Trump administration claims that loan caps will drive down graduate school costs. However, the Association of American Medical Colleges argues that rising medical school tuition costs are not causally associated with accessible loan programs. Leslie Turner, associate professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, said that eliminating generous federal loans may not reduce costs for students.

Concerns About Accessibility

There’s concern that the new loan caps could make med school less accessible and exacerbate an existing physician shortage. In 2024, the Health Resources and Services Administration projected a shortage of 87,150 primary care physicians by 2037. Nikitha Balaji, national president of the American Medical Student Association, said that many future physicians will find themselves in a worse financial position and may be disincentivized from pursuing fields they are passionate about.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.