Education Department Accused of Dropping Nursing, Other Programs From ‘Professional Degrees’ Count

In a controversial move that could dramatically affect graduate student financing, the Department of Education has proposed a restrictive interpretation of what constitutes a “professional degree” for student loan eligibility purposes, potentially excluding numerous healthcare and education programs.

The proposal, announced in November 2025, would limit higher borrowing caps to a narrow list of graduate programs, excluding nursing, social work, public health, physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, speech-language pathology, education, and most counseling degrees from the “professional degree” classification for loan purposes.

If finalized, students pursuing these degrees would face significantly lower borrowing limits compared to those in fields like medicine, law, dentistry, and pharmacy. Under the newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, “professional degree” students can borrow up to $50,000 annually with a lifetime cap of $200,000, while other graduate students are limited to $20,500 annually and $100,000 total.

The Department of Education’s proposal has sparked widespread concern across social media platforms, with claims that “Nursing is no longer counted as a professional degree by Trump Admin” going viral. Department spokesperson Ellen Keast defended the move, stating the agency is using “the same definition of what constitutes a professional degree that it has used for decades.”

“We’re not surprised that some institutions are crying wolf over regulations that never existed because their unlimited tuition ride on the taxpayer dime is over,” Keast said in an emailed statement.

The proposal stems from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump in July 2025, which eliminated programs allowing graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance. The legislation required the Department of Education to implement new rules determining which programs qualify for the higher borrowing limits.

The department’s interpretation relies on a definition first established in 1965 regulations, which described professional degrees as those “that signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree.” The original definition listed examples including pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, and theology.

The current proposal adds clinical psychology to this list and introduces a classification mechanism using four-digit CIP codes (Classification of Instructional Programs) that match those of the listed examples. For instance, pharmacy programs with CIP code 51.20 would qualify, while nursing programs with different codes would not.

It’s worth noting that some counseling degrees that fall under CIP code 42.28 for “Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology” would still qualify as professional degrees under the proposal, contrary to some social media claims.

Critics argue the narrow interpretation fails to recognize the professional nature of many modern healthcare and education fields that require advanced degrees and licensure. The policy could particularly impact students entering public service careers like nursing, teaching, and social work, which often offer lower financial returns despite their critical societal value.

The Department of Education expects to release final rules by spring 2026 at the latest, with the new student loan policies taking effect on July 1, 2026. The proposal is currently going through the federal rulemaking process and has not yet been finalized.

For prospective graduate students in the affected fields, the proposal raises serious questions about the affordability of their education and could influence enrollment decisions as the higher education sector adjusts to the new funding landscape.