On July 17, recent high school graduate Tamia Akers posted a TikTok video that quickly reached the masses. An aspiring lawyer, Akers shared her dream of attending Howard University—until financial hardship threatened to derail her plans. “After the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill, I can no longer afford schooling there,” she revealed in the now-viral video.
Enacted on July 4, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act limits the amount of federal loans students can borrow, based on their level of education.
In addition to sharing her dashed hopes of enrolling in the historically Black research institution, Akers used her platform to amplify a larger call to action. She encouraged incoming college students across the nation who may be facing similar circumstances to speak up. “There are kids out there that have it worse than me right now,” the Ohio native said in her video.
Akers’s younger sister, Xylaa, launched a GoFundMe campaign on her behalf with a $64,000 goal—the equivalent of Howard’s annual tuition. Since then, the campaign has surpassed $120,000 in donations. In a follow-up video, Akers excitedly announced her enrollment at Howard University, shared that she will be a majorette dancer, and thanked supporters for helping her achieve her academic goals. She declined an interview request on July 28, shortly after officially enrolling.
“It’s not happening all immediately,” admitted Dr. Walter Kimbrough, former president of Dillard University and Talladega College. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act takes effect on federal student loan repayments beginning July 1, 2026. New borrowers will be limited to two repayment plans. Existing borrowers, however, will still have access to most income-driven repayment options until July 1, 2028.
“I’ve always been an advocate for students getting funding for their education,” Kimbrough said. “We need more accessibility to grants and not to be so reliant on loans.”
Akers’s video stands out as one of many emotional public displays of economic frustration from students pursuing higher education. Amid restrictive legislation and climbing tuition costs, many are facing circumstances that can quickly drain their resources. In 2024 alone, nearly 40,000 individuals and organizations received financial support from GoFundMe donors to cover tuition and scholarships.
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are among the institutions most affected. Systemic underfunding continues to impact their ability to support students—particularly Black students. Over the past three decades, HBCUs have been underfunded by at least $12.8 billion compared to predominantly white institutions, according to a 2022 Forbes article. In addition, HBCUs often face higher borrowing costs in the municipal bond market, a disparity known as the “Black tax.”
Although college tuition has always come at a cost, the burden is growing heavier. With each passing year, the question becomes more urgent: will higher education become a luxury only the affluent can afford? And are working-class Black students being placed at the forefront of that burden?
Howard University sophomore Makiah Goodman believes so. Raised in a low-income, single-parent household, Goodman hopes to graduate debt-free. Like Akers, she shared her financial situation on TikTok and created a GoFundMe campaign to cover an outstanding balance of about $5,000 owed to Howard. A future research scientist, she originally expressed optimism about joining Howard’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program—funded by the National Science Foundation to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM. That hope, however, was short-lived.
“I was recently told by my advisor that [the program] was cut completely in May due to some of the things that are going on with the Trump administration,” Goodman told GU.
The program once provided mentoring, research opportunities, stipends, and scholarships for students with financial need. Due to reduced access to grants like LSAMP, many students are forced to rely on loans. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, those options are now capped. What remains are limited, and not always reliable, forms of support.
According to several collegiate financial aid advisors, the shrinking pool of resources presents significant challenges. “Students need financial aid to get through [school]. Because of the cost of private education, they rely on it,” one source familiar with the matter explained.
When federal programs are defunded, administrators are often among the first to be notified—depending on the institution’s due process. “If an instructor has a student who is an annual recipient of a federal scholarship, the professor would notify the department. However, if a student received grant support, a professor would notify the student through an email or phone call,” the source added. “We still try to see what other forms of aid are available for students.”
Among those options are grants, federal and state aid, and institutional scholarships. But even these alternatives aren’t always enough.