Effective Fall 2026: A new federal requirement resulting from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect federal student loan (Unsubsidized, Subsidized, and PLUS) eligibility for students that are enrolled less than full-time. Your enrollment for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 combined will determine your federal loan eligibility for the academic year.
- To be considered full-time for the academic year, students must take:
- Undergraduate students: 24 credits over an academic year (fall/spring)
- Graduate students: 18 credits over an academic year (fall/spring)
- Students with an ABD status are considered full-time
- Federal student loans will be reduced when students are enrolled less than full-time for the year.
- URI assumes full-time enrollment when initially determining loan eligibility for all programs that are not fully online.
- Loans will be reviewed at the Fall disbursement based on your actual Fall enrollment plus anticipated Spring enrollment. If this total is less than full-time, your loans will be reduced.
- Loans will be reviewed again at the point of the Spring disbursement, based on your actual Fall and Spring enrollment. If this total is less than full-time, your loans will be reduced.
- Use our Loan Eligibility Estimator to estimate how your enrollment may affect federal loan eligibility.
If you intend to be full-time for both Fall and Spring, no action is required. If you will be enrolling below full-time for the academic year, please complete the Request for Early Direct Loan Reduction Form to have your loan adjusted before disbursement.
Students who wish to add courses for Fall must do so before the Add/Drop period ends on September 22, 2026.
Disclaimer: While the U.S. Department of Education has not yet released final implementation guidance, the University of Rhode Island is monitoring federal updates closely and will revise this page as additional information becomes available. Details below are based on current rules and may change based on federal guidance.
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