On June 24, 2025 the AAPD joined 58 other dental and medical associations on a coalition letter sent to the chair and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) concerning federal student loan issues in budget reconciliation legislation being considered by the Senate. The letter highlighted the following concerns:

• The proposed student loan limits in the Senate draft text, combined with the proposed elimination of the GradPLUS loan program, will present a significant barrier for students pursuing medical and dental school. Effective July 1, 2026, the Senate provision would establish a $257,500 lifetime cap on federal borrowing, inclusive of undergraduate and graduate loans. The GradPLUS loan, which allows medical and dental students to borrow up to the cost of attendance, would be eliminated. These provisions will force many future medical and dental students to rely on high-interest private loans, significantly increasing their debt burden and influencing critical career decisions,
• The Senate draft text proposes to exclude physicians and dentists from counting their residency training years toward eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. This exclusion would represent a significant setback for early-career healthcare professionals who often rely on PSLF as a pathway to manage their substantial educational debt while serving in nonprofit, academic, or government settings.
• The Senate draft text removed House-passed language that would reinstate the ability for physicians and dentists to defer a portion of their federal student loans interest during residency training. That provision was similar to the bipartisan, bicameral REDI Act (S 942/HR 2028) that many medical and dental provider groups have advocated for in recent years. This language should be reinstated in the final budget reconciliation bill.

Click here for a copy of the entire letter. For any questions, please contact Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel C. Scott Litch at 773-938-4759 or slitch@aapd.org.