Minnesota launched SELF Grad Loan, a state low-interest graduate program created after federal Grad PLUS loans were eliminated and other federal graduate loan caps tightened ahead of July 1. The Office of Higher Education said the program is designed to fill a gap in graduate borrowing that expands access without credit-score-based pricing. Participating institutions now include 35 colleges and universities across Minnesota, with specialized borrowing terms for advanced dentistry, medicine, pharmacology, and veterinary medicine students. In most other graduate programs, the state sets annual and cumulative limits, plus minimum borrowing and repayment terms while students are enrolled. The rollout also comes as Minnesota missed demand for student aid over the past two years and projects a shortfall again unless the state financial aid budget is replenished—an affordability pressure that higher ed leaders are already managing.