Nursing Degrees Were Just Downgraded by the Government—Healthcare Could Pay the Price

Under federal student loan regulations, graduate nursing programs are no longer considered “professional degrees” due to a recent Department of Education ruling that reclassified them. The modification is a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a comprehensive reform initiative spearheaded by the Trump administration with the goal of reorganizing student loan systems.

Parent PLUS loans will be capped under the new rule, and programs like Grad PLUS—which offer vital assistance for graduate and professional students—will be discontinued. Additionally, the Department changed what degrees are considered “professional,” which has an immediate impact on how much students can borrow. The higher $200,000 aggregate loan maximum set aside for professional degrees is thus no longer available to students pursuing physical therapy, nursing, and other programs.

Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania Antonia Villarruel denounced the ruling as a “serious blow to the health of our nation.” Additionally, the American Nurses Association warned of long-term consequences for healthcare access, particularly in underprivileged communities, and encouraged the Department to reevaluate its definition.

According to healthcare authorities, the education needed for nurse practitioners and other allied health professionals is compromised by their exclusion from professional classification, which may also restrict the pool of potential future providers.