Index/Organizations/Inside Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed

American online magazine (2004-)

Fact-Checks

96 results
Nov 20, 2025
Most Viewed

What were Donald Trump's reported SAT scores?

Public reporting shows no verified, public SAT scores for Donald Trump; multiple outlets note that his grades and test results were never released and that his former lawyer Michael Cohen testified th...

Nov 24, 2025
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Which specific degrees did the 2025 Department of Education memo classify as professional versus non-professional?

The Department of Education’s 2025 proposal narrows which graduate programs qualify as “professional degrees,” explicitly keeping roughly 10–11 traditional fields (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, ...

Nov 21, 2025
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are psychology degrees still considered professional degrees under trump's new law

The Department of Education under the Trump administration has proposed narrowing which graduate programs count as “professional” for higher federal loan caps, listing roughly 10–11 fields (medicine, ...

Nov 20, 2025

What is the definition of a 'professional degree' and which degrees were reclassified?

The Department of Education’s RISE committee has drafted a narrow regulatory definition of “professional degree” that ties the category to specific fields, program length and licensure pathways — a ch...

Nov 21, 2025

Which graduate degrees did the DOE list as non-professional in the 2025 reclassification?

The Department of Education’s 2025 proposal dramatically narrows which graduate programs qualify as “professional degrees,” cutting a list reported at roughly 2,000 programs to fewer than 600 and reco...

Nov 21, 2025

Which professions were historically designated as professional degrees and how did that status affect licensure and regulation?

Historically, a narrow set of occupations—most notably medicine, law, and teaching—have been treated as “professional” for policy and licensure purposes; that treatment connected degree programs to st...

Nov 17, 2025

Which professions saw their degrees reclassified as non-professional and why?

Reporting in the provided sources does not list a definitive, single roster of “professions whose degrees were reclassified as non‑professional”; instead, recent policy discussions and guidance docume...

Nov 20, 2025

Where can I find the official Department of Education list describing the 11 professional categories?

The Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking (RISE) process landed on recognizing “11 primary programs” as professional degree categories eligible for the higher loan cap under the One Big Beau...

Dec 10, 2025

will parent plus loan be capped?

Yes — new federal law and implementing guidance create hard caps on Parent PLUS borrowing: an annual cap of $20,000 per student and an aggregate (lifetime) cap of $65,000 per student for Parent PLUS l...

Dec 5, 2025

Which specific professional degrees were added to the DOE list for 2025–2026?

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 hi...

Nov 21, 2025

Which law signed by Donald Trump removed certain degrees from the 'professional' classification and when did it take effect?

The change removing nursing from the Department of Education’s list of “professional degrees” stems from the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which President Donald Trump sign...

Nov 20, 2025

How does reclassification to a professional degree affect accreditation, licensure, and graduate statistics reporting?

The Department of Education’s recent negotiated rulemaking would narrow which post‑baccalaureate programs qualify as “professional degrees,” affecting loan limits and prompting institutions and associ...

Dec 3, 2025

Which academic fields lost 'professional degree' status and when did those changes occur?

The U.S. Department of Education narrowed its working definition of “professional degree” in late 2025, naming 11 fields that unquestionably qualify and excluding many others — including nursing, educ...

Nov 21, 2025

Where can I find the official DOE list or database of degree program classifications for 2026?

The Department of Education has been publishing proposals and draft criteria that redefine which graduate programs count as “professional” — a designation tied to higher loan caps starting July 1, 202...

Nov 20, 2025

What differentiates a professional degree from an academic degree in U.S. higher education?

U.S. "professional" degrees are commonly defined by their explicit preparation for practice, licensure requirements, and often longer cumulative time-to-completion compared with many academic degrees;...

Nov 17, 2025

Did Michelle Obama participate in campus organizations or activities at Princeton?

Michelle Obama was an active undergraduate at Princeton (class of 1985) who engaged with student organizations focused on race and student governance and used Princeton’s Third World Center as a socia...

Nov 14, 2025

What SAT score has been attributed to Donald J. Trump and what are the sources?

There are no verifiable, publicly released SAT scores for Donald J. Trump; reporting and commentary note that his scores remain sealed and that Michael Cohen testified he was directed to threaten scho...

Nov 26, 2025

How do federal student loans impact the broader economy and voter demographics?

Federal student loans now touch roughly 40–46 million Americans and finance about $1.6–1.8 trillion of consumer debt, shaping household balance sheets, credit markets and public finances . Research an...

Nov 22, 2025

What specific professional degrees were added or removed in the 2025–2026 DOE list compared to 2024 guidance?

The Department of Education’s 2025–2026 proposal for which graduate programs count as “professional degrees” narrowed the list used to set higher federal loan caps and excluded several health and soci...

Nov 21, 2025

Professional degrees

The Department of Education has proposed a far narrower regulatory definition of “professional degree” tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a change that would make fewer graduate programs ...