The Parent PLUS gap: what the 2026 loan caps leave uncovered at 80 colleges

Key findings

1. At full cost, federal loans fall short at all 80 colleges. A dependent student can borrow $27,000 over four years and parents can now borrow $65,000 in Parent PLUS, or $92,000 in total. The median four-year gap at full cost is $266,770 at the private universities studied and $43,268 at the public universities for in-state students. The largest are at USC ($288,192), UChicago ($287,884), Northwestern ($287,416), Vanderbilt ($284,568), Boston College ($280,156).
2. Grants close the gap for most lower- and middle-income families, but not all. At the average net price, the price after grants for students who get federal aid, 35 of 80 colleges still leave a four-year gap after maximum federal loans. For aided families earning $75,000 to $110,000, 28 of 80 do.
3. Upper-middle-income families are hit hardest. For aided families earning over $110,000, 75 of 80 colleges leave a gap after typical grants and maximum federal loans, with a median of $68,752 over four years. These families often qualify for little grant aid, and before July 2026 could borrow up to the full cost in Parent PLUS. The largest gaps for this group are at BU ($240,404), NYU ($181,212), Wake Forest ($168,988), Boston College ($155,200), Penn ($153,820).
4. The squeeze comes in senior year. Borrowing the maximum $20,000 a year uses $60,000 of the $65,000 limit in the first three years, so only $5,000 of Parent PLUS is left for the fourth year. Families who plan year by year can be surprised by the last bill.

Results for every college

Click a column heading to sort. Each college links to its own page with a year-by-year plan and net prices for every income band.

Methodology

• Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, retrieved 2026-10-31 (data last updated October 15, 2026). Full cost is the 2024–25 average cost of attendance (in-state at public universities). Net price is the 2024–25 average net price for first-time, full-time students who received federal aid, overall and by family income.
• Loans: the student borrows the maximum dependent Direct Loan ($5,500, $6,500, $7,500 and $7,500 in years one to four), and parents borrow the most Parent PLUS allowed under the rules for loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026: $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student, never more than cost minus other aid.
• Gap: four years of cost minus those loans, holding the first-year cost or net price flat. Real costs rise each year, so actual gaps are likely larger.
• Limits: income-band net prices cover only students who received federal aid, so families who get no aid may face more. Students covered by the legacy provision keep the old limits for up to three years. The colleges were chosen for size, cost and search interest; the list is not a ranking.

Use and cite this study

Journalists, schools and researchers may quote or republish these figures and the table with a link to this page. Suggested citation:

Parent PLUS Calculator, "The Parent PLUS Gap: What the 2026 Loan Caps Leave Uncovered at 80 Colleges," October 2026, https://parentpluscalculator.com/parent-plus-gap-study/

For questions or a custom cut of the data, contact us. Families can run their own numbers with the free Parent PLUS gap calculator, and websites can embed it for free.