The ripple effects on enrollment, federal student-loan funding and the broader education ecosystem.

Description

On July 11, 2025, President Trump quietly signed the “Big Beautiful Bill,”- a bill over 850 pages that authorizes a sweeping tax-and-spending package that goes far beyond cuts to income tax and Medicaid. Buried within the legislation are major education provisions: the elimination of Grad Plus loans, strict new caps on Parent Plus borrowing, consolidation of repayment plans, and the nation’s first federal school-voucher tax credit. These changes cut billions in federal student-loan funding- transforming how families finance everything from kindergarten through higher education. This session will unpack the bill’s provisions, assess early reactions from universities, lenders and states, and explore the ripple effects on enrollment, private-loan markets and the broader education ecosystem.

Speakers

Peter Granville

Fellow, The Century Foundation

Will McBride

Chief Economist, Tax Foundation

Paul Reville

Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration, Founding Director, The EdRedesign Lab Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Alex Zhang

Associate Professor of Law, Emory University

Guided Questions

Peter Granville

Considering your expertise on federal student loan policies and state financing strategies, how do you anticipate states will adapt their approaches to funding higher education in response to the sweeping federal loan cuts outlined in the Big Beautiful Bill?

Will McBride

With your comprehensive experience analyzing fiscal policy and economic impacts, how might the educational finance provisions—including federal voucher tax credits and loan funding cuts—embedded in the Big Beautiful Bill shape America's long-term debt and deficit outlook?

Paul Reville

Drawing on your extensive background in state education policy and community-focused initiatives, what challenges and opportunities could arise for local cradle-to-career efforts due to the new restrictions on Grad Plus and Parent Plus loan borrowing?

Alex Zhang

Given your extensive research on taxation and democracy, how might the changes to university endowment taxation under the “Big Beautiful Bill” impact democratic access and equality in higher education?