MCC Daily Tribune
Changes to Federal Student Loan Borrowing for Part-Time Students
Please share with students:As a result of legislative changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that went into effect on 7/1/26, students who are enrolled or projected to be enrolled part-time (fewer than 24 eligible credits per academic year) and wish to borrow federal student loans will be subject to a “schedule of reduction” for their eligible borrowing amounts.
What This Means for Students
Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, annual student loan limits are now tied to an expectation that students attend full-time for the academic year in order to receive the maximum loan amount. At MCC, enrollment in 24 eligible credits for the year is considered full-time (12 credits is considered full-time per semester). Students who register for fewer than 24 eligible credits per academic year will have their student loan amounts reduced in proportion to their enrollment.
Eligible credits include anything that is required for degree completion and/or is eligible for federal financial aid, such as prerequisite courses. Eligible credits taken during the summer and intersession terms also count toward the annual 24 credit total. Credits taken during terms where students are nonmatriculated or are not in good academic standing per the college’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy are ineligible and do not count toward the annual 24 credit total.
Consistent with previous regulations regarding student loan borrowing, students must still register for a minimum of 6 eligible credits per semester in order to qualify to borrow student loans.
Summer Semester Students
Students who registered during the Summer 2026 semester in at least 6 eligible credits and accepted student loans received 1/3 of their annual loan maximum for that term. This was based on the estimation that summer students will continue to enroll on a pace to reach full-time status for the year, enabling the Financial Aid Office to award equal student loan amounts in each semester. If actual enrollment in upcoming terms is less than anticipated and the student does not reach the 24-credit benchmark for the year, a reduction to loan amounts will be applied in the fall and/or spring semesters.
Fall Semester Students
Students who did not attend the Summer 2026 semester, are registered part-time in the Fall 2026 semester (between 6 and 11 eligible credits), have accepted student loans for 2026-2027, and completed the Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling will have estimated loan amounts applied to their semester bill by mid-August. These amounts are estimates only, based on the number of credits of enrollment at the time the estimate is added to the account. The actual calculated amounts of student loans will change if registration either increases or decreases. All loan amounts will be reviewed prior to the September 30th disbursement date to ensure that amounts are correct and class attendance has been confirmed. Students who are enrolled in late-start courses which have not had attendance confirmed by 9/30 will have their loan disbursement delayed.
Dropping Classes and Withdrawing from Classes
The minimum enrollment per semester to be eligible to borrow a student loan remains 6 eligible credits. Students who drop classes in the Fall 2026 semester and end up below 6 eligible credits of enrollment become ineligible for student loans.
Withdrawing from classes prior to Fall 2026 disbursement will cause a reduction to the amount of the student loans for the fall semester and potentially the spring semester as well.
Withdrawing from classes after a loan has already disbursed for the Fall 2026 semester will result in a reduction of the available loan amount for the Spring 2027 semester, since classes that are withdrawn from do not count toward the 24-credit annual fulltime enrollment.
Questions or Concerns
Meet with a Financial Aid advisor by scheduling an appointment or stop by the Financial Aid office on a walk-in basis from 9:00am-4:00pm on weekdays.
Jerome St. Croix
Financial Aid
08/10/2026