I’m about to start law school at Georgetown. I’m proud of myself for getting this far, but it hasn’t been easy — I’ve faced significant financial and social challenges throughout my admissions process.

Black, low-income and other marginalized students often have to put in more effort to apply for law school programs. But even if you can clear those barriers, another remains: the cost.

I pushed myself hard to get an associate’s degree in high school and graduated from my state college in two years, since my family couldn’t afford a fouryear college. But law school is a whole other challenge.

Georgetown Law now costs $83,576 for tuition — an increase of nearly 5% from last year. And nationally, the average cost of law school is around $50,000 per year, with top programs costing $70,000 to $90,000.

These are just tuition costs — you still have to come up with money for living expenses. Even students with merit aid are often forced to take out loans for housing, food and school materials. The average law student takes out $30,000-$40,000 per year.

For students like me, meeting these costs would be unthinkable without Grad PLUS loans, which are federally guaranteed loans for students in graduate programs.

Until now, students have been able to borrow up to the full cost of attendance. But President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” includes a provision that will eliminate Grad PLUS Loans for new borrowers starting July 1, 2026.

This means that this year’s incoming law students — my class — will be the last class that will be able to take advantage of Grad PLUS Loans. Next year’s class will only be able to take Stafford Loans, which top out at just $20,500 annually — nowhere near enough to cover tuition and expenses.

The elimination of Grad PLUS loans leaves low-income students with two options: either take out higher-interest private loans or don’t go to grad school.

Legal institutions in the United States have a strong history of marginalizing students of color. Law schools are already disproportionately white and wealthy, with Black students making up only 8% of law students and Hispanic students just 14%.

Trump has also been targeting law schools’ diversity, equity and inclusion programs and national law firms’ DEI summer associate positions. Conservative politicians are apparently adamant about making these spaces even whiter and wealthier than they already are.

These changes to federal loans aren’t only likely to reduce the diversity of incoming classes. They’ll also affect the positions that students take after graduation.

Low-income students or students of color who decide to take the risk of private loans for their Juris Doctor will be more tempted by the prospects of a “Big Law” position that will pay off their loans as fast as possible. Entry-level pay for a Big Law attorney is $200,000 per year, compared to $64,000 per year for entry-level lawyers in public interest positions — think civil rights, consumer protection or environmental attorneys.

These decisions will have disastrous effects on the legal community and pre-law students for years to come. Classes will become less diverse, more students will be saddled with debt and fewer will go on to serve in the kinds of public interest roles that benefit everyone in this country.

Underserved communities deserve a voice at the table. With our communities often facing legal discrimination, we may lack the resources to combat our own oppression. We should be opening doors for students like me who’ve worked this hard, not closing them.

Olabisi Omoniyi-Alake is a Henry A. Wallace Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and incoming Georgetown law student. She was a youth and community ambassador in the Minority Youth Advisory Council, where she organized events to encourage minority youth to participate in advocacy work at the University of Maryland.