Students in some graduate programs may see a sharp change in how much federal loan support they can access under the Department of Education’s rollout of provisions from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
A key shift centers on which programs are officially labeled “professional.” That classification will now determine whether students qualify for higher annual borrowing limits. The updated list, however, leaves out several degrees widely viewed as professional—especially in health care—triggering backlash from nurses, higher-education groups, and other workforce advocates.
Why It Matters
College and graduate school costs have continued to climb. Over the past 30 years, average tuition at public and private colleges has roughly doubled after inflation, according to NPR. Public university tuition has also risen significantly over the last decade, and some schools were preparing additional price increases this academic year.
With borrowing caps now tied to a narrow “professional degree” definition, students in expensive programs that fall outside the list could struggle to cover costs. Critics warn this may push people away from high-need careers that typically require graduate training.
What To Know
Under the law’s new framework, the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace previous student-loan repayment programs.
At the same time:
- The Grad PLUS program—traditionally used by graduate and professional students to fill funding gaps—will be eliminated.
- Parent PLUS loans will be restricted.
RAP sets annual borrowing limits for new borrowers at:
- $20,500 for graduate students
- $50,000 for professional students
Because of that, the Department’s updated definition of “professional degree” now directly affects how much a student can borrow each year.
The long-standing regulatory definition (34 CFR 668.2, dating to 1965) lists several professions but also says the category is “not limited to” those examples. That language previously left room for broader interpretation. Under the new approach, however, many programs are being left out explicitly.
According to Inside Higher Ed, health-care degrees not categorized as professional include nursing, physician assistant programs, physical therapy, and audiology. Other excluded professions reportedly include architecture, accounting, education, and social work, despite being fields that require licensure and are currently facing workforce shortages. Reports also indicate exclusion of some programs in engineering, business master’s tracks, counseling/therapy, and speech pathology.
Nursing groups have been especially vocal, arguing that reduced borrowing limits could discourage students from entering the profession and worsen already-severe shortages nationwide.
In response, the American Nurses Association has launched a petition urging the Department of Education to add nursing to the professional-degree category.
Degrees Reportedly Not Classified as “Professional”
- Nursing
- Physician assistants
- Physical therapists
- Audiologists
- Architects
- Accountants
- Educators
- Social workers
What People Are Saying
Amy McGrath, a U.S. Senate candidate in Kentucky, wrote on X that the reclassification makes little sense and disproportionately targets women-dominated occupations. She argued that excluding fields like nursing, counseling, and social work is a quiet way to reduce women’s access to advanced professional careers and could deepen existing workforce shortages.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) said excluding nursing ignores decades of progress toward equal standing among health professions and contradicts the Department’s own logic that professional programs lead to licensure and direct practice. AACN warned that leaving nursing out undermines national health-care capacity.
Kevin Kinser, professor of education policy studies at Penn State, told Newsweek the list appears designed less to define professionalism and more to limit federal exposure to loans likely to go unpaid. He said the list favors fields tied to higher salaries and downplays lower-earning but essential public-service professions. Kinser added that while limiting excessive debt could benefit some students, it also risks destabilizing university finances and weakening support for public-service careers.
Paul Gaston, professor of English at Kent State University, said the definitions are out of step with reality. He argued that nursing, physical therapy, and audiology clearly prepare students to enter licensed professions, and that funding rules based on narrow bureaucratic definitions could harm the public by reducing the supply of trained health-care workers.
Peter Lake, a law professor and director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson Law, said many excluded programs meet widely accepted legal standards for “learned professions,” including specialized training, licensure, and malpractice accountability. He warned that tightening the definition could block access to critical careers, especially for students who can’t rely on private loans. He also said the policy may pressure schools to cut tuition, but could also reduce instructional quality if budgets tighten too far.
What Happens Next
The new borrowing limits and degree classifications are scheduled to take effect in July 2026.
