AOA makes progress to soften the impact of federal student loan changes

The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act heralded a series of changes for Federal Student Aid recipients, including one that could spur a seismic shift in access to optometry education. New federal student loan limits for the academic year 2026-2027 will make costly health care degrees even more unattainable for some.

The legislation imposes strict lending caps on federally subsidized graduate loans: $20,500 annually and $100,000 in aggregate for programs not considered ‘professional programs.’ Professional programs have a double limit: $50,000 per year and $200,000 over the lifetime of a graduate program for degrees in medicine, law, dentistry, and divinity. However, in many cases, even this allowance may still be insufficient.

Other changes include the elimination of the Graduate PLUS Loan Program effective July 1, 2026, and the introduction of two new loan repayment plans, while existing income-based and standard repayment plans are sunsetted.

The AOA advocated for the inclusion of optometry as a professional degree, warning Congress that lowering limits would make optometry schools out of reach for many—and succeeded. Despite their triumph and optometry’s inclusion, many may still not be able to afford their education without costly and, at times, predatory private loans.

Reforms target excessive debt but harm prospective students

Despite this win, AOA leadership is concerned about the far-reaching consequences of restricted access to educational funding. AOA President Jacquie M. Bowen, O.D., says education affordability will have an even larger impact in the future.

“While we appreciate that Congress recognized optometry as a professional program eligible for higher loan limits, these new federal student loan caps still raise serious concerns about affordability,” Dr. Bowen says. “Limiting how future doctors of optometry can finance not only tuition, but also living expenses, clinical equipment and board examinations risks shrinking the pipeline of providers at a time when our nation already faces significant eye care access challenges.”

This care gap is more than an affordability issue for optometry students. Ophthalmology students will face the same limitations, despite a longer and more expensive training program. With even higher costs, this change may discourage ophthalmology students, leading to a larger provider shortage in the future.

Additionally, an aging population and a commensurate demand for services for age-related eye conditions contribute to dire concerns over the public’s access to essential eye care in the future, says Richard Edlow, O.D., noted Eyeconomist author and industry lecturer. Dr. Edlow points to the results of a 2024 study by economists, “Seeing is believing: The effect of optometrist scope of practice expansion,” to augment his argument that optometry is an answer to the care gap. In the study, researchers found that, at three junctures in time, when scope expanded for optometrists, eye health rose in the U.S. As it expanded state-by-state, vision impairment fell by 12%. This decline bodes well for greater scope expansion in the future: “These findings have important implications on ongoing policy debates on scope of practice expansions of optometrists and other health care practitioners to meet the rapidly growing demand for medical services given the limited supply of physicians.”

AOA urges continuing advocacy

While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is already law, there are still opportunities to advocate for adjustments. AOA-member students and doctors can start reaching out to their lawmakers on this issue starting Jan. 1, 2026, through the AOA Action Center.

“We will continue working with policymakers to ensure student loan policies protect borrowers without putting optometric education—and patient care—out of reach,” Dr. Bowen says.