If you're in nursing school or thinking about becoming a nurse, grab a seat. The Department of Education just made a quiet change to its professional degrees list that's sending shockwaves through the healthcare community. Graduate nursing programs are suddenly excluded from the professional degree category, and the financial fallout could reshape who can afford to become a nurse.
What Changed with Department of Education Professional Degrees?
The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill came with a sneaky update to how the Department of Education defines professional degrees. While medicine, law, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and even theology kept their spots on the VIP list, nursing got booted off. The American Nurses Association is practically sounding alarm bells, calling this a direct threat to patient care.
The 1965 federal law that originally defined professional degrees listed ten specific fields and said the list wasn't exhaustive. For decades, that gray area meant nursing could squeeze in. Now, the Department is saying nursing was never meant to be included. Ellen Keast, the Education Department's higher education press secretary, said the new definition aligns with "historical precedent" and that institutions are just upset because "their unlimited tuition ride on the taxpayer dime is over."
How Loan Limits Impact Nursing Students
Here's where the rubber meets the road. Starting July 1, 2026, graduate students in "professional" programs can borrow up to $50,000 per year with a $200,000 lifetime cap. Nursing students? They get stuck at $20,500 per year with a $100,000 total limit. That Grad PLUS loan program that helped cover the gap? Gone. Disappeared faster than free coffee in a hospital break room.
For context, a Master of Science in Nursing can cost anywhere from $12,000 to over $100,000. The math simply doesn't add up for most students, especially those from underrepresented or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Nursing Shortage Crisis Deepens
Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, isn't mincing words. She says limiting funding for graduate nursing education "threatens the very foundation of patient care," especially in rural and underserved communities where advanced practice nurses often serve as the only healthcare providers.
What's Next for Affected Students?
Nursing organizations like the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the American Nurses Association are fighting back hard. They're pushing the Department to add nursing, physician assistants, and physical therapists to the professional degrees list, arguing these fields meet every criteria: rigorous education, licensure requirements, and direct patient care.
If you're a current or prospective nursing student, explore every financial aid option immediately. Scholarships, grants, and employer tuition assistance might become your best friends.
What do you think about nursing getting excluded from the professional degrees list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.