Starting July 2026, the new law caps federal borrowing at $50,000 a year for med students. The median medical school costs $80,238. You'll need to cover the $30,238 difference yourself, every year, for four years.
The new federal loan caps change how you'll pay for medical school. Three things worth knowing before July 2026.
MD and DO programs are classified as "professional" under 34 CFR § 668.2, so you get the higher $50,000 cap. But the median program costs $80,238, leaving $30,238 per year you have to find elsewhere.
Four years at $50,000 is $200,000, which hits the aggregate limit exactly. Any undergraduate debt you're carrying cuts into that number.
Already enrolled? You may get up to 3 years of grandfathering. Starting a new program fall 2026 or later? The caps apply from day one.
MD/DO students get the $50,000 professional cap — $29,500 more than graduate students. But at top-50 schools, COA still exceeds $90,000, leaving a $40,000+ gap every year.
| School | Annual COA | Federal Cap | Annual Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | $143,557 | $50,000 | −$93,557 |
| Northwestern | $120,375 | $50,000 | −$70,375 |
| Midwestern (AZ) | $115,222 | $50,000 | −$65,222 |
| Midwestern (IL) | $113,280 | $50,000 | −$63,280 |
| UPenn | $112,584 | $50,000 | −$62,584 |
| Duke | $110,643 | $50,000 | −$60,643 |
| Tufts | $110,534 | $50,000 | −$60,534 |
| Vanderbilt | $110,237 | $50,000 | −$60,237 |
Source: The 2026 Graduate Education Funding Crisis: A Data Report. Full methodology →
What federal loans still cover, where institutional aid is expanding, and how private loans fill the rest.
Read guide →DATALook up any MD program: annual cost, federal cap, and the gap you'd need to cover.
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