The U.S. Department of Education moved forward with sweeping new student-aid rules after the start of the summer regulatory cycle, even as federal courts blocked parts of the administration’s loan and forgiveness agenda. At the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators conference, Under Secretary Nicholas Kent described “some of the biggest changes in financial-aid history,” including new graduate loan and program-eligibility triggers tied to an earnings test. The final rules set an earnings threshold tied to typical state outcomes, with programs that fail repeatedly risking eligibility for federal loans and, in some cases, Pell Grants. Separately, in Massachusetts, Judge Myong J. Joun blocked an ED rule narrowing Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility less than 24 hours before it was scheduled to take effect, calling it unlawful and describing its effects as a violation of the First Amendment. The decision follows state and institutional challenges that argued the policy would chill protected speech. Education Department guidance also continued to evolve in response to litigation over how “professional” graduate degrees are defined for federal loan caps. ED issued a new list after a judge paused its previous definition, using a statutory definition while the case proceeds.