Outrage as popular college degree is no longer counted as ‘professional’ by Trump administration
A new policy from the Department of Education has sparked significant concern among nursing organizations. The decision excludes nursing from being classified as a “professional degree” under President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
This classification is crucial as it determines student loan limits. Students in programs deemed “professional” can access up to $200,000 in loans, while others, including nursing students, are now limited to $100,000.
The move has caused outrage, with organizations warning it threatens patient care. They argue that excluding nursing disregards its critical role in healthcare and could worsen the existing national shortage of nurses.
Dr. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nursing Association, stated the decision could prevent nurses from advancing their education to become teachers, further straining the system. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing called the potential impact “devastating.”
In defense, the Department of Education stated its definition of a professional degree is a long-standing, consensus-based precedent. A spokesperson suggested some institutions are “crying wolf” over regulations that never existed.
The list of approved “professional” degrees includes medicine, law, and dentistry. Other excluded occupations, alongside nursing, are physician assistants, physical therapists, social workers, and accountants.
With over 300,000 students currently in nursing programs, the long-term consequences of this policy shift on the healthcare workforce are a major point of contention.
