Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
It’ll take us a couple more years to see what kind of fallout in their ability to finance their education.
It’s anecdotal at this point, but you can see it coming. There’s a slice of students who don’t realize until they’re through the application, admission, and matriculation process what that full picture looks like for them. Many know the cost, but they haven’t really delved into what that looks like. Maybe they’ve walked an unconventional path to get to law school, and their credit is not where they are able to access private loans. That brings a challenge, so they could end up deferring or wondering whether legal education is right for them.
— Sudha Setty, president and CEO of the Law School Admission Council, discussing the potential impact of changes to graduate student lending in an interview with the ABA Journal. The new rules ended Grad PLUS loans for new borrowers starting July 1, 2026. JD students borrowing for the first time after that date can access up to $50,000 a year in federal loans, subject to a $200,000 lifetime cap. Students who need more may have to turn to private lenders, where eligibility depends on credit history, and private loans aren’t eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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