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Is nursing considered a professional degree?
Executive summary
The U.S. Department of Education has proposed or implemented a rule change that excludes nursing — including graduate nursing programs such as nurse practitioner degrees — from its list of “professional degree” programs for federal loan rules, which will reduce access to higher graduate borrowing limits and eliminate Grad PLUS for many students (see Newsweek, Nurse.org, and the American Nurses Association statements) [1] [2] [3]. Available reporting shows regulators cite that the 1965 regulatory definition did not explicitly list nursing, and the change ties directly to borrowing caps and the “One Big Beautiful Bill” implementation scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026 [1] [4] [5].
1. What the Department of Education changed and why it matters
Federal reporting says the Department revised its definition of “professional degree” programs and now omits nursing and several allied professions from that category; medicine, law, and dentistry remain listed as professional degrees while nurse practitioner and other advanced nursing programs were removed [1] [4]. That reclassification matters because the new law and rule replace prior borrowing rules — eliminating Grad PLUS and imposing lifetime or annual caps for graduate borrowing — and only students in designated “professional” programs will be eligible for the higher borrowing caps and certain loan terms under the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) [4] [2] [5].
2. Who is affected and how big the change is
Newsweek and other outlets note the move will affect hundreds of thousands of students: more than 260,000 enrolled in entry-level BSN programs and tens of thousands in associate and graduate nursing pathways, with graduate nursing students in particular losing access to higher federal loan limits previously available to professional degree programs [1] [2]. Reporting also cites new statutory caps — for example, lifetime caps and specific professional-program higher limits — as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” package that reshapes graduate borrowing [4] [5].
3. Reactions from nursing organizations and stakeholders
The American Nurses Association publicly warned the change “threatens the very foundation of patient care” by limiting funding for graduate nursing education and urged the Department to recognize nursing as a professional field to preserve loan access [6] [3]. Nurse.org’s analysis frames the change as making advanced practice nursing “harder and more expensive,” arguing that removing professional-degree status reduces financial options for students pursuing advanced credentials [2].
4. The legal and historical context cited by the Department
Several reports point out the 1965 federal regulatory definition of “professional degree” lists certain fields and states the definition is “not limited to” those examples; outlets say nursing was not definitively listed in that old text, which is influencing the Department’s interpretation now [1] [7]. Available sources do not mention an explicit earlier rule that uniformly counted all nursing degrees as professional across every federal program; instead, the current change appears tied to interpreting older regulatory language in light of new statutory loan rules [1] [7].
5. Potential consequences and competing perspectives
Advocates warn the reclassification could worsen the nursing shortage by discouraging prospective and current students from pursuing advanced credentials, particularly people from lower-income backgrounds who rely on federal loans; independent outlets and nursing groups emphasize the risk to access in rural and underserved areas [2] [5] [3]. On the other side, proponents of the Department’s approach — implicit in the new law’s design — argue that it standardizes borrowing limits and targets high-cost professional programs for limited loan generosity [4]. Available sources do not include direct statements from Department officials explaining all policy rationales beyond implementation of the borrowing caps and rule changes; CNN and other outlets describe the Department proposing the redefinition in connection with implementing the new loan regime [8].
6. What to watch next and options for students
Reporting notes the implementation date tied to the bill is July 1, 2026, and that graduate students should monitor rulemaking, potential legal challenges, and any Department engagement with nursing stakeholders that could lead to revisions [4] [5]. Nursing organizations urge advocacy and negotiations with the Department; students and institutions are advised to explore alternative financial aid, institutional support, and state or employer programs while the policy evolves [3] [2].
Limitations: Coverage is new and evolving; this summary synthesizes current news stories and nursing association statements but available sources do not provide the Department of Education’s full administrative record or detailed internal rationale beyond the point that the 1965 regulatory text did not explicitly list nursing [1] [7].