NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n\n- Nursing is no longer considered a \u201cprofessional\u201d degree under changes initiated as part of Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act”<\/li>\n
- Along with the elimination of Grad PLUS loans, this change will impact how nursing students will finance their education, and it has sparked outrage<\/li>\n
- Several organizations have already voiced their concerns over the changes, while a press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education called reporting on the new definition “fake news”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Nursing is no longer considered a \u201cprofessional\u201d degree under the Trump administration. The change, along with the elimination of a longstanding loan program for graduate and professional students, has sparked outrage from several nursing organizations.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAs part of the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s new federal student loan-related changes under President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a>,” nursing has been excluded from the group of programs that are considered \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees, and a loan program for graduate students has been marked for elimination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe changes have created new fears about how students, and particularly students seeking post-baccalaureate nursing degrees, will finance their education \u2014 and several organizations have already voiced their disapproval and concern at the updates.<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn early November, the department made several alterations that impact federal student loans, according to a\u00a0news release<\/a>\u00a0from the U.S. Department of Education. \u201cIn total, negotiators reviewed and agreed to 17 regulatory provisions,” per the release, including a “new and simplified” Repayment Assistance Plan and “the definition of a professional student.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe department also shared plans to eliminate\u00a0Grad PLUS loans<\/a>, which help graduate and professional students pay for education-related expenses not covered by other financial aid, and cap\u00a0Parent PLUS Loans<\/a>, which are specifically given to parents of undergraduate students. In the release, the department explained the decision to end the Grad PLUS program, which was first introduced in 2006, by stating that it “has fueled unsustainable student loan borrowing.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe Department of Education has also changed the definition of \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees. The umbrella will no longer include nursing post-bacc programs, which means those seeking the degree will have to follow new borrowing limits, according to\u00a0USA Today<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Wisconsin Public Radio<\/a>\u00a0(WPR). (The changes will go into effect next summer.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/95uW6A03ej0k2PtlXcol-8can5A=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/Donald-Trump-US-Saudi-Investment-Forum-112225-c3a21aa6cf8a4eb8848a6f60b48d9388.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>President Donald Trump in November 2025.<\/span>Stefani Reynolds\/Bloomberg via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cBeginning in July 2026, the OBBBA caps annual loans for new borrowers at $20,500 for graduate students ($100,000 aggregate limit), and $50,000 for professional students ($200,000 aggregate limit) \u2013 a term the committee defined consistent with existing regulatory text,\u201d the Department of Education said in the news release. \u201cPreviously, graduate students could borrow up to the cost of attendance, which led institutions to offer expensive graduate programs with a negative return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe umbrella of \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees redefined under the newly instated changes stems from a 1965 federal law, per\u00a0USA Today<\/em>. According to the outlet, the decades-old legislation defines a “professional degree” as one 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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThough it clarifies that the list is not exhaustive, the 1965 law also lists several examples, including pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic and law, per\u00a0USA Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWith nursing \u2014 and degrees required to become a physician assistant, nurse practitioner and physical therapy, per WPR \u2014 now excluded from this definition, and Grad PLUS loans eliminated altogether, students seeking careers in these fields will see drastic changes to the amount of federal loans they can borrow.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the news, Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, spoke with\u00a0NewsNation<\/a>\u00a0about how the changes will affect the already \u201clooming nursing shortage\u201d in the U.S.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cI don\u2019t know why we would take this away,\u201d Kennedy told the outlet. \u201cSo we have a looming nursing shortage even greater than before. So this is going to stop nurses from going to school to be teachers for other nurses.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has also released a statement about the changes and urged Education Secretary\u00a0Linda McMahon<\/a>\u00a0and Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent to reconsider adding nursing under the umbrella of professional degrees in a\u00a0letter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/tjI37B0OYb3s87lBDeDUtI03Tgk=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2):format(webp)\/Donald-Trump-South-Lawn-White-House-112225-603e54e08840480a9c96784322515f90.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>President Donald Trump in November 2025.<\/span>Anna Rose Layden\/Politico\/Bloomberg via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cAACN is deeply concerned by the Department of Education\u2019s decision to move forward with a proposed definition of professional degree programs that excludes nursing and significantly limits student loan access,\u201d the organization wrote in a\u00a0statement<\/a>. \u201cShould this proposal be finalized, the impact on our already-challenged nursing workforce would be devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Nursing is no longer considered a \u201cprofessional\u201d degree under changes initiated as part of Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act”<\/li>\n
- Along with the elimination of Grad PLUS loans, this change will impact how nursing students will finance their education, and it has sparked outrage<\/li>\n
- Several organizations have already voiced their concerns over the changes, while a press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education called reporting on the new definition “fake news”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Nursing is no longer considered a \u201cprofessional\u201d degree under the Trump administration. The change, along with the elimination of a longstanding loan program for graduate and professional students, has sparked outrage from several nursing organizations.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAs part of the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s new federal student loan-related changes under President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a>,” nursing has been excluded from the group of programs that are considered \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees, and a loan program for graduate students has been marked for elimination.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe changes have created new fears about how students, and particularly students seeking post-baccalaureate nursing degrees, will finance their education \u2014 and several organizations have already voiced their disapproval and concern at the updates.<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn early November, the department made several alterations that impact federal student loans, according to a\u00a0news release<\/a>\u00a0from the U.S. Department of Education. \u201cIn total, negotiators reviewed and agreed to 17 regulatory provisions,” per the release, including a “new and simplified” Repayment Assistance Plan and “the definition of a professional student.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe department also shared plans to eliminate\u00a0Grad PLUS loans<\/a>, which help graduate and professional students pay for education-related expenses not covered by other financial aid, and cap\u00a0Parent PLUS Loans<\/a>, which are specifically given to parents of undergraduate students. In the release, the department explained the decision to end the Grad PLUS program, which was first introduced in 2006, by stating that it “has fueled unsustainable student loan borrowing.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe Department of Education has also changed the definition of \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees. The umbrella will no longer include nursing post-bacc programs, which means those seeking the degree will have to follow new borrowing limits, according to\u00a0USA Today<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Wisconsin Public Radio<\/a>\u00a0(WPR). (The changes will go into effect next summer.)<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n \n<\/div>\n<\/div>President Donald Trump in November 2025.<\/span>Stefani Reynolds\/Bloomberg via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cBeginning in July 2026, the OBBBA caps annual loans for new borrowers at $20,500 for graduate students ($100,000 aggregate limit), and $50,000 for professional students ($200,000 aggregate limit) \u2013 a term the committee defined consistent with existing regulatory text,\u201d the Department of Education said in the news release. \u201cPreviously, graduate students could borrow up to the cost of attendance, which led institutions to offer expensive graduate programs with a negative return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe umbrella of \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees redefined under the newly instated changes stems from a 1965 federal law, per\u00a0USA Today<\/em>. According to the outlet, the decades-old legislation defines a “professional degree” as one 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.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThough it clarifies that the list is not exhaustive, the 1965 law also lists several examples, including pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic and law, per\u00a0USA Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nWith nursing \u2014 and degrees required to become a physician assistant, nurse practitioner and physical therapy, per WPR \u2014 now excluded from this definition, and Grad PLUS loans eliminated altogether, students seeking careers in these fields will see drastic changes to the amount of federal loans they can borrow.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the news, Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, spoke with\u00a0NewsNation<\/a>\u00a0about how the changes will affect the already \u201clooming nursing shortage\u201d in the U.S.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\u201cI don\u2019t know why we would take this away,\u201d Kennedy told the outlet. \u201cSo we have a looming nursing shortage even greater than before. So this is going to stop nurses from going to school to be teachers for other nurses.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has also released a statement about the changes and urged Education Secretary\u00a0Linda McMahon<\/a>\u00a0and Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent to reconsider adding nursing under the umbrella of professional degrees in a\u00a0letter<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n \n<\/div>\n<\/div>President Donald Trump in November 2025.<\/span>Anna Rose Layden\/Politico\/Bloomberg via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cAACN is deeply concerned by the Department of Education\u2019s decision to move forward with a proposed definition of professional degree programs that excludes nursing and significantly limits student loan access,\u201d the organization wrote in a\u00a0statement<\/a>. \u201cShould this proposal be finalized, the impact on our already-challenged nursing workforce would be devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n