Some Nursing Degrees No Longer Classified In ‘Professional’ Category, As New Loan Caps Introduced
The Department of Education (DOE) is no longer considering several master’s degrees related to nursing as “professional” degrees.
The change is part of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which revamped how much certain students are able to borrow from the federal government to pay for advanced education. The changes cap federal tuition loans for some graduate degrees specifically.
It is expected to take effect July 1, 2026 — causing alarm among some health professionals and associations concerned that the changes will exacerbate the ongoing nursing shortage.
BREAKING DOWN THE HEADLINE
To clarify which graduate students can access larger federal loans, the DOE officially designated certain fields as “professional,” including pharmacy, dentistry, law, veterinary medicine, and theology. Prior, a 1965 federal law simply defined a professional degree as one that requires “skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree.”
Notably, the DOE’s list excludes graduate programs in nursing and related fields, though medical doctors qualify.
Students in graduate programs that are designated as “professional” are able to borrow up to $50,000 a year or a total of $200,000 under the new guidelines.
Those that are not designated as “professional” can borrow up to $20,500 a year or a total of $100,000.
The change will not impact loans for bachelors degree. Rather, people who pursue graduate degrees related to nursing — which include Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) — will have less access to loans to pay their high tuition. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), about 20% of registered nurses in the U.S. hold a master’s or doctoral degree — which have become higher in demand, in part, because they often result in higher pay.
BIGGER PICTURE
The Trump administration has defended the changes to standardizing loan caps as a way to fight the exponential rise in tuition.
Health groups say the new loan caps could choke off the pipeline of advanced-practice nurses and other essential professions, especially given the ongoing nursing shortage. According to the AACN, access to graduate programs is necessary to help fight the shortage: “Approximately 29,200 new Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRNs), which are prepared in master’s and doctoral programs, will be needed each year through 2032 to meet the rising demand for primary and specialty care.”