Access to Student Loans and Pell Grants: Institutional Accountability Has Arrived in Higher Ed

Federal higher education policy is shifting in unprecedented ways under OB3 (“Big Beautiful Bill”). Institutional Accountability is the primary change affecting the majority of institutions participating in Federal Student Loan and Pell Grant programs, something that is new in US higher education. Other OB3 provisions—most notably new loan limits and the introduction of Workforce Pell—will compound the impacts of the changes. We are in a new era and education leaders need to be prepared for both the opportunities and the risks.This session outlines what is changing, what is not, and how these policy adjustments affect institutional program portfolios, enrollment planning, and financial exposure. Panelists will examine the implications of expanded workforce funding alongside tighter graduate lending, with a focus on practical considerations for institutional leaders.