# Cato Experts: “Grad PLUS Deserved to Die” 

July 9, 2025 • News Releases 

Last week, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress had approved earlier in the week. As part of the bill, Grad PLUS loans were eliminated. These types of loans were only available to graduate students.

[Andrew Gillen,](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https:/zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.cato.org*2Fpeople*2Fandrew-gillen/1/01000197efcd4d5c-f2618f5c-8f0f-41eb-831f-1cdc6253ebab-000000/O5VNf9dN8LsYTeisEfcF_zkO-lo=434___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOmE2Y2U2NGI5ZDdkNWEzOGQ4ZDc4ZTY2MDEyZjAxZGMwOjc6MWQyZTo0NGQxMGU2YzM2N2M3MDdjY2QxMjhhMDc5YzZmNjg4M2YzMGZlOTU3ODMxYWRkNGQxNTk2OGU3OTQxODBjYWU5Omg6VDpO) a research fellow, and [Neal McCluskey](https://www.cato.org/people/neal-mccluskey), the director of the Center for Educational Freedom, applauded the move, saying, “Grad PLUS deserved to die for several reasons, including for the good of future job seekers and students.”

You can read their analysis in a [new blog post](https://www.cato.org/people/neal-mccluskey).

If you would like to speak with Gillen or McCluskey, please reach out to [pr@​cato.​org](mailto:pr@cato.org).

**ICYMI:**

- [Andrew Gillen on the end of Grad PLUS.](https://x.com/Gillen_Andrew_J/status/1940821749400326181)
- [Let Colleges Fail: How to Unleash the Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education](https://www.cato.org/events/let-colleges-fail)
- [Dissolving the Education Department: The Role of Congress](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/dissolving-education-department-role-congress)

**More on Education:**

- [The State of Higher Education](https://www.cato.org/testimony/state-higher-education)
- [The Accreditation Cartel Faces a New Competitor](https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2025/07/08/the-accreditation-cartel-faces-a-new-competitor/)
- [From Federal to Parental Freedom: The Story of a Movement](https://www.cato.org/free-society/summer-2025/federal-failure-parental-freedom-story-movement)
- [The Supreme Court is Right on Reading Opt-Outs, but That’s Not Enough](https://www.cato.org/blog/supreme-court-right-reading-opt-outs-thats-not-enough)

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##### Notes

Grad PLUS deserved to die for several reasons, including for the good of future job seekers and students.

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