New Loan Caps Threaten Medical School Access

0:00It's March 31st. Welcome to Kansas News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Kansas City University has boomed from 800 to 2,200 students in the last decade, with campuses in Kansas City and Joplin. Now, President Dr. Mark Hahn worries about welcoming 430 new medical students next fall, since many might not secure enough loans, too, cover costs. Earlier this summer, President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act kicked in new federal loan caps for professional degrees, like medicine, dentistry, and clinical psychology. $50,000 a year, or $200,000 lifetime. It also acts as graduate PLUS loans, which had no limits and helped with living expenses. Current students dodged these rules. Hahn fears this squeezes out kids from world or diverse backgrounds, limiting who becomes a doctor and hurting care access in underserved spots. Dr. Shortage's already hit hard, especially primary care and rural areas, where new docs often chase higher pay to handle debt.

1:04Medical school tuition jumped from $46,000 to nearly $60,000 over 10 years, with grads owing around $229,000 on average, plus living costs. Studies show 40% of students borrowed over 50,000 yearly, and reliance on PLUS loans double to 47% by 20. 20. Schools like Kansas City University are pitching private lenders, who offer 5 to 6% rates for strong credit, but up to 16%. Otherwise, this could shrink the physician pipeline and snag loan forgiveness for nonprofits hiring in tough areas, leaving real questions about who fills those. Critical Roles.