Washington Update

APLU Raises Concerns on New Graduate Loan Limits
On April 30, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) published its final rule following the conclusion of the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) negotiated rulemaking committee to implement the student loan components of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Department also published a fact sheet to accompany the final rule. APLU President Waded Cruzado issued a statement on the loan limits, saying: “We are profoundly disappointed in the U.S. Department of Education’s decision not to expand professional graduate programs eligible for higher loan limits in finalized federal rulemaking.”

The list of programs that qualify for the higher professional limits remains the same as initially proposed and agreed to by the negotiated rulemaking committee and is detailed on page three of the fact sheet. Unfortunately, the Department also did not make fundamental changes to the implementation timeline of July 1, 2026, which is the date in the statute but inconsistent with other requirements in the Higher Education Act relative to the Department’s master calendar. Typically, federal student aid regulations and forms must be finalized by November 1 to take effect by July 1 of the following year.

Several organizations have announced plans to challenge ED’s rule in court. Additionally, congressional Democrats are expected to try to repeal the regulation under an expedited process under Congressional Review Act authorities, although the outcome is highly unlikely given that even if Congress passed the resolution, it would either require President Trump’s signature or a veto override.

In its statement, APLU underscored support for Representative Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) Professional Student Degree Act as a legislative option.

DHS Submits Final Rule on Duration of Status to OIRA, Pending Publication
On May 5, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted its final rule on Duration of Status to the White House Office of Management Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. APLU previously submitted comments describing how the proposed rule weakens the nation’s ability to attract the world’s best talent.

The final rule is not expected to make substantive changes to the proposed rule, which:

• Replaces duration of status admission for F-1 and J-1 visa holders with a fixed period of stay for the program length, up to a maximum of four years, and requires an Extension of Stay (EOS) application to extend the validity of a visa;

• Restricts F-1 students from transferring between institutions in the first year and prohibits graduate student visa holders from changing programs;

• Prohibits F-1 students from pursuing an additional credential at the same or lower level following program completion;

• Lowers the grace period following program completion from 60 to 30 days.

To presumably support implementation, a new question was added to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) ahead of DHS’ submission to OIRA, “Did the student, or will the student receive a degree, diploma, certificate, transcript or other similar document indicating completion of all curricular requirements for the program of study at your institution?”

Former NSF & NSB Leaders Send Letter to Congressional Leadership and OSTP Director Urging NSF to Fill Leadership Positions, Including Director and NSB Roles
A bipartisan group of former National Science Foundation (NSF) Directors and National Science Board (NSB) Chairs sent a letter to Senate leadership, Senate Health and Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee leadership, and White House OSTP director Michael Kratsios stressing the urgent need to restore full leadership at NSF amid intensifying global competition in science and technology, writing “scientific preeminence requires an enduring compact between government and the research enterprise.”
The letter follows the recent dismissal of the entire National Science Board. APLU released a statement on the dismissal.

HHS Extends Web Accessibility Compliance Deadline to 2027
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published an interim final rule extending by a year, to May 11, 2027, the deadline for compliance with web accessibility standards, expressing that the Department believes the original deadlines were “unlikely to be met by a significant number of recipients, especially local governments and other small and medium size recipients of financial assistance from the department, for various reasons beyond the department’s and recipients’ control.”  The action follows a similar action by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on its broader rule.

In 2023, when the ADA web accessibility requirements were published as a proposed rule, APLU joined the higher education community in a comment letter requesting a five-year implementation timeline. The associations expressed “overall support for ensuring that all students, especially those with a disability, are able to access online content in an ever-changing technological learning environment” while noting concerns from institutions on the resources and time investment required to implement the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The higher education community also offered the rule as a recommended area for deregulation at the beginning of the second Trump administration.

APLU Joins Higher Education Community Letter to State on Visa Processing Delays
On May 6, APLU joined the higher education community in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of State requesting the Department prioritize student visa processing ahead of the fall academic semester, citing concerns about limited appointment availability, interview wait times, and other processing delays. The letter also underscores how delayed processing hinders the significant contributions of international students to the United States.

Farm Bill Passes House
The House passed the Farm Bill, H.R. 7567 – Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, on April 30 . Passage of the bill comes after a contentious week of debate and delays. Passage was ultimately secured by stripping the bill of provisions that allowed year-round sales of E15 and bipartisan passage of an amendment that strips language on pesticide labeling uniformity.

Following passage of the bill, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released a statement on the path forward, “I remain committed to working with my colleagues in the Senate to continue this momentum and deliver Farm Bill 2.0 to the president’s desk to be signed into law. I look forward to releasing legislative text in the coming weeks.”

USCIS Lifts Visa Processing Hold on Physicians
The New York Times reports that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “updated its website, without a formal announcement, to indicate that physicians are no longer subject to the processing hold,” referring to Trump administration actions that increased vetting or restricted visa processing for individuals “coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.” The Department of Homeland Security also confirmed this development in a statement provided to the Times.

The web edits described by the Times can now be found on the ‘Update on USCIS’ Strengthened Screening and Vetting’ webpage, under the Internal Review Process section.

Information Collection on Implementation of Executive Order 14398, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors
On May 6, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Department of Defense (DOD); General Services Administration (GSA); and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) published a notice and request for public comments on  information collection concerning the implementation of Executive Order 14398, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors.

Per the proposed information collection, federal contractors would be required to: “Par (b)(2)—Furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the contracting officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with the clause.

ii. Par (b)(4)—The contractor will report any subcontractor’s known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the contracting officer and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the contracting officer.

iii. Par (b)(5)—The contractor will inform the contracting officer if a subcontractor sues the contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of the clause.”

The deadline for comments is July 6. APLU is assessing the impact on member institutions.