OpenChainGraph · CG-27 · 21.4 Decision Gate

Grad Loan Gap Funding Path

Gated two-step chain: quantify the OBBBA 2025 federal Direct Unsubsidized / Grad PLUS cap funding gap for a graduate or professional program. A fully funded result routes to end — no residual gap means there is nothing left to finance, so a graduate-school ROI comparison would be redundant. Only a positive gap continues to the ROI comparator.

OBBBA 2025 P.L. 119-21, effective July 1, 2026: $20,500/yr ($100k lifetime) grad · $50,000/yr ($200k lifetime) professional · $257,500 overall aggregate

Chain State

Step 1 · Grad Loan Cap Gap Planner

Gate · funding_gap

Step 2 · Graduate School ROI Comparator

Grad Loan Cap Gap Planner

AL-102 · grad_loan_gap_record

Program Type

Annual Cost of Attendance ($)

Program Length (Years)

Fellowship / Aid per Year ($)

Total Funding Gap (After Federal Cap + Aid)

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Run to see chain-verified funding gap

Open Full Tool ↗

⛔ OCG 4a gate: /summary/funding_gap ≤ 0 → routes to end. This chain stops here — Step 2 does not run when the federal cap plus aid already fully funds the program.

Graduate School ROI Comparator

AL-03 · graduate_school_roi_record

Residual Gap Financed ($)

Pre-Program Salary ($)

Post-Program Salary ($)

Graduate Degree ROI (10-Year, on Residual Gap)

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Run Step 1 first

Open Full Tool ↗