Which specific professional degrees were added to the DOE list for 2025–2026?
Executive summary
The Education Department’s negotiated-rulemaking outcome narrows the federal “professional degree” category to 11 primary programs (plus some doctoral degrees), which determines eligibility for the higher $200,000 graduate borrowing cap that begins July 1, 2026 [1] [2]. Debate has centred on whether important health and education fields — including nursing, physician assistant, audiology, and speech‑language pathology — should be included; several advocacy groups say the department’s proposal would exclude them and sharply reduce loan access [3] [4].
1. What the department and the RISE committee actually decided
By the end of the negotiated rulemaking session convened by the Department of Education, the RISE committee reached consensus to recognize only 11 primary programs as “professional” (with some additional doctoral programs also qualifying) for purposes of the higher borrowing cap ($200,000 aggregate) that takes effect July 1, 2026 [1] [2]. Inside Higher Ed reported that the department’s revised plan expanded slightly from an earlier ten‑degree list but still kept the count tight [5].
2. Which specific programs were added or kept — and what reporting shows
Reporting and advocacy group statements indicate that clinical psychology was specifically added during the negotiated rulemaking session; other reporting lists an 11‑program consensus but does not print a single authoritative, published roster of the 11 in the materials provided here [6] [1]. Sources explicitly say the committee agreed to “recognize only 11 primary programs as well as some doctoral programs” but do not publish all 11 program names in the excerpts supplied [1]. Available sources do not list all 11 programs by name in the provided reporting.
3. Who is arguing they were excluded — and their evidence
Leading professional groups for health and speech‑language fields — for example ASHA for audiology and speech‑language pathology — say the Department’s proposed definition would exclude their fields from “professional degree” status, which would make those students subject to the lower $100,000 aggregate cap; ASHA and nursing organizations have publicly urged ED to revise the definition to include these programs [3] [7]. News outlets and social posts also list broad swaths of health, education and counseling fields as excluded under the proposal, citing the department’s new definition and the timing of implementation in July 2026 [4] [8].
4. The practical consequence: two borrowing tiers and who qualifies
Under the changes tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, borrowers in programs classified as “professional students” will face an annual cap of $50,000 and a $200,000 lifetime limit, while other graduate borrowers face $20,500 annually and $100,000 aggregate; which cluster a program falls into depends on whether it meets the department’s narrowed “professional degree” definition agreed to in the rulemaking [2] [9]. The department and some observers argue the change aligns with long‑standing regulatory text; critics say it sharply reduces graduate borrowing access for many workforce‑critical fields [9] [1].
5. Conflicting narratives and where to find the single authoritative list
Multiple outlets describe the process and name a few programs (for instance, reporting notes the addition of clinical psychology), but the excerpts provided do not include a single, department‑published list of all 11 program names [6] [1]. Snopes documents viral claims that nursing and many other fields were reclassified and cites a DoE spokesperson saying the department is using its historical definition, showing competing interpretations in public statements [9].
6. Stakes and the politics behind the technical rule
Advocacy groups frame the rule as a threat to access in fields dominated by women (nursing, counseling, social work), arguing the practical effect will be to push students away from those careers; higher‑education groups and research universities warn the rule will limit access to advanced training and research degrees [4] [1]. The department frames its approach as a restoration of a narrow regulatory definition to curb unlimited borrowing that Congress changed in law [9].
7. How to verify the exact 11 programs and next steps
To get a definitive list of the 11 primary programs recognized as “professional” for 2025–2026 implementation, consult the Department of Education’s final rule or the negotiated rulemaking committee’s published consensus text; the current reporting excerpts confirm the count and identify at least clinical psychology as newly added, but do not reproduce the full roster [1] [6]. Stakeholders can expect final regulations or an official DoE list to appear before the July 1, 2026 implementation date [9] [1].
Limitations: the supplied sources confirm there are 11 primary programs and name some additions and exclusions, but the provided materials do not print a complete, authoritative list of all 11 program names [1] [6]. Available sources do not mention the full, explicit list of the 11 programs in one place.