What changes did the DOE make to the professional degree list for 2025–2026 compared with 2024–2025?
Executive summary
The Department of Education proposed a much narrower definition of “professional degree” for 2025–2026 that would cut the programs listed as professional degrees from roughly 2,000 to fewer than 600 and explicitly excludes many health- and education-related credentials — including advanced nursing, physician assistant, audiology, speech-language pathology, public health and architecture among others — which would trigger lower federal graduate loan caps for students beginning July 1, 2026 (loan caps: $20,500 annual/$100,000 aggregate for most graduate students; $50,000 annual/$200,000 aggregate for professional students) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting from the DOE and outlets shows the Department says institutions can still self-determine whether particular programs meet the new criteria and that alternative fields could qualify if they meet specified professional-skill and licensure criteria [4] [5].
1. A sweeping redefinition that shrinks the list — and who’s affected
The Department’s proposed rule materially reduces the catalog of degrees it labels “professional,” cutting what observers say was roughly a 2,000-program list to under 600; that narrowing would remove many advanced health, public-health, and education programs from the professional-degree category and therefore subject new borrowers to smaller loan maximums [1] [6]. Coverage and advocacy groups name nursing (MSN, DNP), physician assistant, advanced practice nursing roles, occupational and physical therapy, audiology, speech‑language pathology, public health (MPH, DrPH), social work (MSW/DSW) and some counseling degrees as among those excluded in the Department’s formulation [7] [5] [6].
2. Concrete loan-dollar consequences tied to the relisting
The shift matters because Congress’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) ties borrower categories to different loan caps: graduate students face an annual cap of $20,500 and a $100,000 aggregate limit while “professional students” — as the law and DOE’s reading define them — can borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total. By narrowing the professional-degree label, the DOE’s proposal would make many students in formerly “professional” programs eligible only for the smaller graduate limits starting with loans for enrollment on or after July 1, 2026 [2] [3].
3. DOE’s criteria and the role of institutions
The Department says it will apply specific criteria — for example, whether a program gives a level of professional skill beyond a bachelor’s degree, typically leads to a doctoral credential, and requires licensure to begin practice — and that institutions bear responsibility for determining if a program meets those requirements. The DOE also noted some fields beyond an initial set of 11 could qualify if they meet the criteria, leaving room for program‑level determinations [4].
4. Pushback from professions and professional groups
Nursing organizations, allied‑health groups and higher‑education commentators argue the proposal will “shut down pipelines” for critical health and public‑health workers and intensify workforce shortages; associations for audiology and speech‑language pathology have already flagged their fields would be excluded under the proposal and are pushing back [8] [5] [6]. News outlets and trade press report legal scholars and professional associations saying the definition diverges from traditional “learned profession” standards and that the change’s practical effect is to constrict borrowing capacity rather than to revalue professional practice [3] [9].
5. What’s new in 2025–2026 compared with the prior year
Compared with the prior practice in 2024–2025 — in which many health, education and allied‑health graduate programs were commonly treated as professional degrees for loan purposes — the DOE’s 2025–2026 proposal explicitly excludes numerous programs and compresses the list to under 600, thereby altering which borrowers are eligible for the larger “professional” loan caps versus the lower graduate caps. Reporting shows the Department’s move is tied directly to implementing OBBBA loan limits and to a fast regulatory timetable ahead of the July 1, 2026 effective date [1] [2] [10].
6. Limits of available reporting and remaining questions
Available sources document the proposed changes, named fields affected, and the loan-cap consequences, but they do not provide a final, exhaustive official list of every program removed or the complete regulatory text that will apply after negotiated rulemaking concludes; the DOE said final rules are expected by spring or early summer 2026 and that institutions retain a role in program determination [7] [4] [10]. Sources do not mention how appeals or case-by-case exemptions would be processed in detail, nor do they show granular modeling on how many students or what geographic/workforce impacts will result.
7. Bottom line for students, schools and employers
If finalized as proposed, the DOE’s 2025–2026 professional‑degree definition will shift many advanced health, education and allied‑health programs out of the higher‑borrowing “professional” category, reducing federal borrowing capacity for future enrollees and raising concerns from professional associations about workforce pipelines; institutions will need to evaluate program-by-program whether they meet DOE criteria and prepare for student financial‑aid adjustments ahead of July 1, 2026 [2] [4] [5].