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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Dear Members of the CPSY Community,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">I’m writing to bring your attention to a recent message from APA’s
<span style="color:black">Grassroots Engagement, Advocacy Office. The OBBBA cap that goes into effect for new graduate student borrowers in “non-professional” programs in/after July 2026 -- $20,500/year ($100,000 aggregate) -- would not have fully covered the
cost of tuition (let alone other costs associated with attendance) for students in our program or most other health service psychology programs nationwide.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">APA’s advocacy has resulted in health service psychology programs being added as part of the definition of “professional degree” for the purposes of the newly established
federal student loan limits, meaning students in clinical, counseling, and school psychology PhD programs will be eligible to borrow up to $50,000/year ($200,000 aggregate).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Although continued advocacy and effort will be needed to ensure our program remains a financially viable option for applicants (and current students), particularly
those who have fewer financial resources, this is an important “win.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Jess<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Jessica M. Cronce, Ph.D.</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Associate Professor, Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Director, Counseling Psychology Program</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Director, Counseling Psychology Center in the HEDCO Clinic</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">College of Education</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">-------- Forwarded message ---------<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Parfaite-Claude, Doris</span></strong> <<a href="mailto:DParfaite-Claude@apa.org">DParfaite-Claude@apa.org</a>><br>
Date: Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 3:48 PM<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Major win for psychology education and training programs and students</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">After many months of advocacy by APA Services, both throughout the legislative and regulatory processes, the Department
of Education’s negotiated rulemaking committee took its final consensus check on November 6 and approved a package of regulations to implement portions of the higher education provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which now includes health service
psychology programs as part of the definition of ‘professional degree’ for the purposes of the newly established federal student loan limits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">This will allow doctoral psychology students in health service psychology programs to borrow federal loans at
the highest-level set in law ($50,000 annually, $200,000 lifetime; exclusive of undergraduate loans).</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> The regulatory text now explicitly includes Clinical Psychology (PhD and PsyD),
as well as all other programs within the same 4-digit CIP Code (42.28) as Clinical Psychology, so long as they are also doctoral programs and lead to licensure.
<b>Meaning that this would also cover Counseling Psychology and School Psychology.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">As a reminder, these changes will affect new borrowers. In addition to the above, the Department also clarified that
all current borrowers will be grandfathered in as part of the legacy student loan programs (both Grad PLUS and the bump-up in current loan limits for health professions degrees, including clinical psychology) for the lesser of three academic years or the remaining
length of their current program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">In the weeks leading up to this consensus vote, APA Services engaged a multi-pronged advocacy strategy: working hand-in-hand
with key negotiators on the committee, leading a bipartisan letter from key House members, engaging with SPTAs to ask key Senators to weigh in on our behalf, and meeting with Department staff to share data and provide important clarifications.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">As far as next steps, the Department will now draft a proposed rule that they are aiming to issue for public comment
before the end of the year. Because consensus was reached, the Department is legally bound to include that language in the proposed rule, which means that this agreed upon definition for ‘professional degree’ must be in the text. A final rule is likely to
be published by next spring, with a July 1, 2026 implementation date. For more information on this issue, please contact
<a href="mailto:kpolishchuk@apa.org" target="_blank">Kenneth Polishchuk</a>, Deputy Chief for Education and Training Policy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Doris Parfaite-Claude, MPP (she, her, hers)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Director, Grassroots Engagement, Advocacy Office</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">American Psychological Association</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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