<aside>

As of August 14, 2026, Maestro College has notified the U.S. Department of Education of its withdrawal from the Federal Direct Loan Program.

If you've never taken out a federal loan and don't plan to, nothing about your situation changes, and your tuition and scholarship are not affected.

If you've taken out a federal loan or are currently considering one, this article explains what's changing, why we made this decision, and what it means for you.

</aside>

The essentials

• Maestro College will stop processing new loan requests as of August 14, 2026. This does not affect tuition. For students eligible for the Maestro Pro Scholarship, tuition remains fully covered through that scholarship.
• Eligible students who have a loan already approved and originated, it's still moving forward. Processing continues for eligible students, but HCM2-related delays affect the timing of when funds are released, not your eligibility.
• This decision is driven by Maestro College's HCM2 status with the Department of Education, which changes who fronts the money for loan disbursements.
• You have real options going forward. You can stay at Maestro College with your scholarship intact, or transfer to Columbia College through our credit transfer agreement. More on both below.

Why we're making this change

As part of Maestro College's ongoing accreditation review, the college has been placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 (HCM2) status by the U.S. Department of Education. One implication of this change is who fronts the money for loan disbursements. Instead of the Department of Education covering those funds up front, Maestro College now pays them out of our own pocket first and requests reimbursement from the federal government later.

The large majority of our students, roughly 80%, don't take out loans at all. Funding disbursements this way comes at the expense of the resources that support everyone else, including the scholarship that makes tuition-free study possible in the first place.

Stopping new loans is what protects Maestro College's ability to keep that scholarship funded today, which is what allows students to continue studying at Maestro College.

What's changing and what's not

Maestro College will no longer approve new requests for Federal Direct Loans effective August 14, 2026. On October 13, 2026, Maestro College will no longer provide new loans to students.

This does not affect tuition. Tuition has always been covered through the Maestro Pro Scholarship for eligible students: federal loans were never used to cover tuition at Maestro College.

What happens between now and the official exit

Loan processing at Maestro College continues under our current HCM2 status until the withdrawal officially takes effect, though with significant delays.

A few things that don't change, regardless of timing:

• Loans you've already received are unaffected. They stay a normal federal loan between you and the Department of Education, on their existing terms. Maestro College leaving the program doesn't change your balance, interest rate, servicer, or repayment schedule.
• A disbursement that is not processed by the Department of Education is money you never borrowed. You won't owe funds you didn't receive.

Your options going forward

You have two paths forward, and both are reasonable depending on your situation.