A new reclassification of which specific degrees qualify as “professional” for federal student loan purposes is a pending proposal set to be implemented on July 1, 2026. These changes are a result of the Trump administration’s new “One Big Beautiful Bill”. Degrees no longer classified as professionals are centered around healthcare and other much needed fields. These changes apply to new borrowers starting in the 2026-27 academic year, which many of our senior Pumas will be a part of.
Degrees such as nursing, physician assistant, physical and occupational therapy, and social work. Other excluded professions are architects, accountants, educators, and speech-language pathologists. This reclassification, from the Department of Education, could affect financial aid and loan access for students in these programs.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN
This means getting financial help to complete advanced degrees in nursing and other health care professions could become more difficult.
Under the U.S. Department of Education’s new definition of professional programs, nursing, along with several other programs, are now excluded and must follow new borrowing limits. Students in programs that are designated as “professional,” including doctors, dentists and lawyers, can borrow up to $50,000 a year or a total $200,000 under the new guidelines. All other graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 a year or a total of $100,000. That’s less than half of the funds previously available to students in these programs.
The plan also eliminates the Grad PLUS program that allows graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance. In a statement, the Department of Education said the changes “place commonsense limits and guardrails on future student loan borrowing and simplify the federal student loan repayment system.”
This can lead to students in these programs needing to drop out or take out more loans due to the lack of funds available. This can have a devastating effect on the medical field as it’s one of the most targeted professions in this change.
