Student loan policy calculator

What does the new federal cap change?

Compare a post–July 2026 federal/private funding mix with the prior all-federal system. Adjust the assumptions and see the repayment burden update instantly.

Live projection

$480,000 borrowed

4 academic years

New system · plan-required starting payment$3,436$350 federal + $3,086 private

Previous system · plan-required starting payment$384Income-driven amount may be below full-payoff payment

At graduation

Debt after in-school interest

+$6,510

New mixed system$583,350

Federal $240,350 Private $343,000

Previous all-federal benchmark$576,840

New mixed system

Total cost to repay in full$1,379,779

Plan-required starting payment: $3,436/mo
Payment needed for full payoff: $4,861/mo
Federal full-repayment cost: $639,125
Private full-repayment cost: $740,654
Longest repayment horizon: 30 years

Previous system

Total cost to repay in full$1,164,019

Plan-required starting payment: $384/mo
Payment needed for full payoff: $4,850/mo
Federal principal borrowed: $480,000
Balance entering repayment: $576,840
Full-repayment horizon: 20 years

Private debt outside federal protections$343,000

This amount cannot use RAP, IBR, or PSLF—even when its rate is lower than the federal rate.

No forgiveness is included in the total repayment figures. For RAP and legacy IBR, the plan-required starting payment is shown separately; the full-repayment comparison uses the monthly amount needed to amortize the debt completely over 30 years for RAP or 20 years for IBR. Projection assumes each annual amount is borrowed at the start of the academic year, rates remain constant, and repayment starts at graduation. It excludes origination fees, residency deferment, and changing income. This is a policy modeling tool, not financial advice.