The federal government is updating the definition of professional degree to set new federal student loan limits. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, students in professional degree programs can borrow up to $200,000 total in federal student loans, while other graduate programs are limited to $20,500 per year and $100,000 total. If these changes take effect, school counseling students may be affected, because earning the degree often requires borrowing more than $100,000. The U.S. Department of Education will draft a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and open it for public comment before issuing final rules in 2026. ASCA will urge all educators to comment on this proposed rule once available.