119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · Jan 29, 2025
Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Jan 29, 2025): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in Senate (Jan 29, 2025)
Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act
This bill limits federal student loan borrowing for graduate and professional students.
Specifically, the bill terminates the ability of a graduate or professional student to receive a Direct PLUS Loan. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) must notify their prospective and enrolled graduate and professional students that Direct PLUS Loans terminate on June 30, 2025.
Additionally, the bill establishes the aggregate loan limit for Direct Unsubsidized Loans as $65,000 for a graduate student (in addition to the amount borrowed for undergraduate education) and $130,000 for a professional student (in addition to the amount borrowed for undergraduate education).
The bill allows IHEs to set lower loan limits.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced in Senate
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Government lending and loan guarantees · Higher education · Student aid and college costs · Vocational and technical education
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 24, 2026.
10 citations.
SLM CORPORATION · lobbying firm or registrant: SLM CORPORATION
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · amended · posted Jul 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$410,000
Spent on own lobbying
Issues pertaining to federal student loan programs; S. 308: Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act (all provisions); H.R. 1739/S. 801: Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act (issues pertaining to federal st…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
SLM CORPORATION · lobbying firm or registrant: SLM CORPORATION
2025 Q4 report (Oct 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) · posted Jan 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$190,000
Spent on own lobbying
Issues pertaining to federal student loan programs; S. 308: Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act (all provisions); H.R. 1739/S. 801: Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act (issues pertaining to federal st…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
SLM CORPORATION · lobbying firm or registrant: SLM CORPORATION
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 20, 2025 · issue area: Education
$260,000
Spent on own lobbying
Issues pertaining to federal student loan programs; S. 308: Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act (all provisions); H.Con.Res.14 (issues pertaining to federal student loan programs); H.R. 1739/S. 801: Higher Ed…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION · lobbying firm or registrant: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 14, 2025 · issue area: Education
$140,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ity-serving institutions for PA program development Issues concerning diversity in higher education H.R. 3711/S.1948 - POST GRAD Act College Cost Reduction Act S. 308 - Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
SLM CORPORATION · lobbying firm or registrant: SLM CORPORATION
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$320,000
Spent on own lobbying
Issues pertaining to federal student loan programs; S. 308: Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act (all provisions); H.Con.Res.14 (issues pertaining to federal student loan programs); H.R. 1739/S. 801: Higher Ed…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
CAREER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (FKA ASS'N OF PRIVATE SECTOR COLLEGES A · lobbying firm or registrant: CAREER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (FKA ASS'N OF PRIVATE SECTOR COLLEGES A
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 16, 2025 · issue area: Education
$100,000
Spent on own lobbying
…the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years - H.R. 1151/S.756 Freedom to Invest in Tomorrows Workforce Act - S. 235 Apprenticeship Pathways Act of 2025 - S. 308 Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act - H.R. 1174 Ensuring Distance Education Act - H.R. 1176 Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act - H.R. 2271 Cha…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION · lobbying firm or registrant: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 8, 2025 · issue area: Education
$130,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ity-serving institutions for PA program development Issues concerning diversity in higher education H.R. 3711/S.1948 - POST GRAD Act College Cost Reduction Act S. 308 - Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION · lobbying firm or registrant: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted May 5, 2025 · issue area: Education
$130,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ession Aid to minority-serving institutions for PA program development Issues concerning diversity in higher education POST GRAD Act College Cost Reduction Act S. 308 - Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
SLM CORPORATION · lobbying firm or registrant: SLM CORPORATION
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted Apr 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$1,060,000
Spent on own lobbying
Issues pertaining to federal student loan programs; S. 308: Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans Act (all provisions); H.Con.Res.14 (issues pertaining to federal student loan programs); H.R. 1739/S. 801: Higher Ed…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
ACCESSLEX INSTITUTE (FKA ACCESS GROUP, INC.) · lobbying firm or registrant: ACCESSLEX INSTITUTE (FKA ACCESS GROUP, INC.)
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted Apr 10, 2025 · issue area: Education
Amount not reported
- Budget reconciliation (Grad PLUS, PSLF, IDR plans) - Oppose S. 308, the Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans (GOAL) Act - Oppose H.R.1739, the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity (HERO) Act - Oppose S. 801, the Higher…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. View filing