Connecticut lawmakers proposed a state-backed graduate loan program to fill gaps left by the federal end of Grad PLUS and new borrowing caps, the state’s higher-education officials announced. The plan would repurpose up to $20 million from the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority and add $10 million in state funding to support roughly 2,000 graduate students in an initial phase, according to coverage of the press briefing. The move responds to major federal changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that will cap graduate borrowing at $100,000 and professional students at $200,000 starting in July. A Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia analysis found roughly 28% of recent graduate borrowers exceeded those forthcoming limits, and many borrowers would struggle to secure private credit without cosigners. States and institutions are now modeling how to backfill student financing, and graduate programs that rely on high-cost professional training are identifying potential enrollment and affordability risks. Colleges should expect increased outreach from state policymakers and should prepare student-finance scenarios to advise enrolled and prospective graduate students.