Nursing programs lose their professional degree status under new Trump administration loan rules, lowering federal borrowing limits and raising concerns about workforce shortages and advanced training access WASHINGTON The Trump administration removed nursing programs from the federal list of professional degrees, a change that alters how thousands of students pay for advanced training. President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025. The law restructures federal student loan categories and links the highest borrowing limits to a narrow set of professional degrees. Education officials later issued a revised list that includes medicine, dentistry and law. The list excludes nursing and other related fields. Graduate nursing students now face a lower loan ceiling of $20,500 each year and $100,000 total. Students in approved professional programs can still borrow up to $50,000 each year and $200,000 overall. The Education Department will implement the new limits on July 1, 2026. Current students in affected programs keep temporary protections that allow them to complete their degrees under older terms. Nursing groups warn that the policy will weaken a workforce already under strain. Leaders argue that advanced nursing programs require long clinical hours, complex training and significant costs. They say the decision will discourage students from pursuing advanced practice, education and leadership roles. They also warn that the shift will intensify shortages in hospitals, long term care facilities and community clinics. Education officials defend the revised definitions. They say the classifications match older federal statutes that describe professional degree programs. The policy does not change state licensure rules or immigration pathways for foreign trained nurses. It only reshapes federal borrowing and repayment structures. Nursing groups plan to lobby Congress for changes. They believe lawmakers can restore nursing to the professional degree category and protect students from higher costs.
https://asianjournal.com/usa/nursing-dropped-as-professional-degree-under-new-trump-loan-rules/
