The U.S. Department of Education has officially excluded nursing from its recently revised definition of “professional degree” programs. This change comes as part of the implementation of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) and nursing organizations across the country are concerned about it.
Why? Because reclassification directly impacts how graduate nursing students access federal loan and loan forgiveness programs.
According to some critics, it also threatens pre-existing stereotypes about the nursing profession and could make an already serious nursing shortage even worse.
The OBBA has capped graduate loans and eliminated the Grad Plus program for graduate and professional students, creating a new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Under the new plan, only students pursuing “professional” degrees can borrow up to $50,000 annually.
To clarify who can access that money as a professional student, the Department of Education has classified the following programs as professional:
- Medicine
- pharmacy
- dental care
- optometer
- Law
- veterinary medicine
- Osteopathic Medicine
- podiatry
- chiropractic
- theology
- clinical psychology
Notably left out of that list?
Along with nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physical therapists.
In simple terms, becoming an advanced practice nurse has become harder and more expensive. Undergraduate nursing students, already burdened with high tuition, will lose the financial benefits reserved for professional degree programs. This may discourage prospective students, especially those from underrepresented or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Leading nursing organizations also say the move could reduce RN application and graduation rates, as all baccalaureate nursing programs require graduation from an RN program first. Although some RNs may go to school with the intention of furthering their education, not all do, and many may choose to work at the bedside in the interim or gain experience.
Without the ability to feel that they have a future in nursing, some prospective students may choose to pursue a different career altogether.
Nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) are fighting back, arguing that nursing meets all the criteria for a professional discipline – rigorous education, licensure, and, of course, surviving on caffeine during night shifts.
In its official statement, AACN declared:
“Excluding nursing from the definition of professional degree programs ignores decades of progress toward equity in the health professions and contradicts the Department’s own acknowledgment that professional programs are those that lead to licensure and direct practice. AACN believes that including post-baccalaureate nursing education as professional is essential to strengthening the nation’s healthcare workforce, supporting the next generation of nurses, and ultimately supporting the health care of patients in communities across the country. Is.”
ANA has also expressed ‘concern’ over the Education Department’s decision and urged the administration to reconsider it, noting that nurses are the ‘backbone’ of the country’s health system.
“At a time when health care in our country is facing a historic nurse shortage and increasing demands, limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the foundation of patient care,” Jennifer Mensick Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association, said in the ANA statement:
“In many communities across the country, particularly rural and underserved areas, advanced practice registered nurses ensure access to essential, high-quality care that would otherwise be unavailable. We urge the Department of Education to recognize nursing as an essential profession and ensure access to the loan programs that make advanced nursing education possible.”
The US is still struggling with workforce loss due to the pandemic and the demand for nurses is skyrocketing. As of 2024, more than 267,000 students are enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs.
These students are the future of healthcare, but if advanced education becomes financially out of reach, what’s next?
“There is no doubt that this is a major blow to nursing,” said Patricia (Polly) Pittman, professor of health policy and management at George Washington University and director of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity. newsweekAdd:
“Education, including going from ADN to BSN and beyond to become an advanced practice nurse, is the single best way to retain nurses, especially in rural and underserved communities. On a symbolic level, it is also extremely disrespectful to the nurses who have fought so hard to be recognized for their important contributions to health care.”
For now, there is nothing to do except wait and see whether the Department of Education updates its decision to include the baccalaureate nursing degree as a “professional degree.”
Currently, the new measures are scheduled to come into effect from July 1, 2026.
You can stay tuned for updates from groups like ANA and AACN. If you are a student, explore all financial aid options in the meantime, especially if you have plans to further your career at the postgraduate level.