Nursing advocates seeking a second opinion on a key student loan designation may get one from a federal judge after a group of states sued the Trump administration over a rule that they argue would worsen a national health care workforce shortage.
A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland on May 19, three weeks after the Education Department finalized the details of its extensive overhaul to the federal student loan program.
Despite an outcry from trade groups and leaders in several fields, the Education Department chose not to expand its list of degrees that qualify as “professional.” The definition is important because it makes a big difference in the amount borrowers can now receive for graduate school, and some worry that fields left off the list will suffer if fewer people pursue those advanced degrees.
Nursing, physical therapy, education, architecture and social work are among the notable degrees that were excluded from the list. Law, and dentistry are among the 11 degrees classified as “professional” and eligible for higher student loan borrowing limits.
The states say the administration’s definition of “professional” degree is far too narrow and doesn’t align with the intentions of Congress. They argue the lower student loan caps will discourage people from pursuing degrees in several in-demand fields such as nursing and education and may exacerbate workforce shortages.
“If the restrictive definition of ‘professional degree’ is maintained, then many students will face the prospect of exceeding the federal-loan caps,” the lawsuit states. “Some of those students will be unable to obtain private loans; others will determine that the higher costs of private loans outweigh the benefits of a graduate degree and decline to enroll altogether.”
Nursing groups have expressed concern about potential negative impacts to the health care industry and those seeking to advance in the field.
The American Nurses Association said it was “profoundly dismayed” by the administration’s decision to omit nursing from the list.
“This Department of Education has chosen to make it harder for nurses to advance their education and their careers,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the ANA. “Make no mistake, this is not a technicality or a footnote. This rule will be felt in real communities, for example, in rural areas where nurse practitioners, midwives, and nurse anesthesiologists are often the only providers of core care services.”
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What’s Changing With Federal Student Loans
Concern over nursing’s designation stems from an overhaul in federal student loans that was signed into law in July as part of the . The new law phases out the Grad PLUS loans program, which had enabled graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance to complete their degree. Now, graduate students will face new caps on the amount of federal loans they can take out.
Graduate students pursuing professional degrees will be allowed to borrow up to $50,000 in federal loans for any one academic year and $200,000 over their lifetime. Students enrolling in nonprofessional graduate programs can borrow $20,500 in one year and $100,000 total.
The changes will go into effect on July 1, 2026. Most existing borrowers can continue to finance their degree under previous terms until they complete their program.
By enacting these changes, the Trump administration is seeking to drive down the costs of higher education and prevent students from taking on debt they can’t repay. “This will benefit borrowers who will no longer be pushed into insurmountable debt to finance degrees that do not pay off,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a statement.
After the law was signed, an Education Department committee worked on hammering out the details of the new regulations, including which programs may qualify for higher borrowing limits.
The finalized ruling lists these 11 degrees as professional:
— Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
— Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)
— Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)
— Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)
— Law (L.L.B. or J.D.)
— Medicine (M.D.)
— Optometry (O.D.)
— Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
— Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P. or Pod.D.)
— Theology (M.Div. or M.H.L.)
— Clinical Psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)
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The Department of Education says its data shows that 95% of nursing students borrow below the new limits and wouldn’t be affected by the caps. It also notes that a graduate degree isn’t required for most nursing positions.
As of 2022, about 20% of registered nurses in the U.S. held a graduate degree, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
The Department of Education says that not classifying certain programs as “professional” doesn’t reflect a negative view toward those fields.
“The definition of a ‘professional degree’ is an internal definition used by the Department to distinguish among programs that qualify for higher loan limits, not a value judgement about the importance of programs,” the department said. “It has no bearing on whether a program is professional in nature or not.”
“Lowering the loan cap will reduce the number of architects who can afford to pursue this professional degree and harm American leadership in this field,” the American Institute of Architects said in a statement following the initial proposal.
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More Students May Turn to Private Loans
With the cost of some graduate degrees reaching into the hundreds of thousands, more students are likely to , experts say.
In anticipation of that heightened demand, banks and online lenders have already begun rolling out new student loan products. A growing list of lenders also now offer loans designed for nursing students. For example, Sallie Mae, College Ave and Abe all advertise health professional student loans.
Private student loans can have benefits and drawbacks, and experts say it’s generally best to exhaust your federal student loan limits before turning to private loans.
Federal loans have a set interest rate for all graduate students (currently 8.94% for direct PLUS loans), they typically don’t require a credit score to qualify and they generally offer more forgiving repayment plans. However, those with high credit scores and reliable income could end up getting a better rate and more favorable terms from a private lender. Of course, others may not qualify for private loans at all.
The have competitive rates, flexible terms and other perks, such as grace periods after graduation or discounts for good grades.
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Update 05/22/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
