ST. PAUL, Minn. — Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union has introduced a new line of credit for students pursuing medical and other health profession degrees, citing new federal borrowing limits that took effect July 1 that it said could leave some graduate students with funding gaps.
According to Affinity Plus, the new Medical and Health Profession Line of Credit is intended to help eligible students cover education costs that exceed newly established federal loan caps before the start of the fall semester.
Under the new federal rules, students enrolled in eligible professional programs are limited to borrowing $50,000 annually and $200,000 over their lifetime through federal loans. Other graduate students are limited to $20,500 annually and $100,000 in lifetime federal borrowing, the credit union said.
‘Financing Gaps’
Affinity Plus said those limits could create financing gaps for students enrolled in multi-year professional programs. Citing data from the Education Data Initiative, the credit union noted that the average medical school debt for indebted graduates in 2025 was $216,659, in addition to approximately $30,000 in undergraduate student debt.
“For many students, the path to a professional degree already requires careful planning, and these federal loan changes add complexity,” Corey Rupp, chief retail officer at Affinity Plus, said in a statement. “We introduced this line of credit to give members another option as they work to cover potential funding gaps and stay focused on the career they’re pursuing.”
According to Affinity Plus, the line of credit was developed in partnership with Credit Union Student Choice, a credit union-founded lending network that partners with more than 300 credit unions to provide private student lending solutions.
Up to $300K Available
The credit union said eligible borrowers may access up to $300,000 through the line of credit, with both fixed- and variable-rate options and repayment terms ranging from five to 25 years.
Affinity Plus said the financing is available to students enrolled in eligible professional degree programs, including medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry and veterinary medicine.
The credit union said the product is intended to help students address both immediate financing needs for the upcoming academic year and longer-term funding requirements throughout multi-year professional programs.
