The Honorable Linda McMahon
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202

Dear Secretary McMahon:

We, the undersigned physician associates (PAs), PA students, and future applicants, write on behalf of more than 190,000 practicing PAs, approximately 28,500, current PA students, and thousands of aspiring PAs preparing to enter the PA profession. We share a growing concern about the agreement reached during the Department of Education’s 2025 Reimagining and Improving Student Education Committee (RISE Committee) Negotiated Rulemaking, particularly the definition of “professional program,” which would exclude PA programs and many other programs for healthcare professionals from eligibility for professional program federal student loan limits.

Denying PA students access to professional-level borrowing ignores both the structure and purpose of their education as well as the clear Congressional intent behind the law.

If finalized, this rule would make PA education financially out of reach for many qualified students, worsen healthcare workforce shortages, and reduce access to care. Fewer PAs in the pipeline will result in fewer trained providers available when patients need them most.

This proposal runs counter to the intent and plain language of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1). Under H.R. 1, professional students are defined as those who prepare to complete the academic requirements for professional practice, receive education beyond the level of a bachelor’s degree, and earn professional licensure. PA programs fully meet all three requirements of a “professional program.” PA programs are graduate-level, intensive, and specifically designed to prepare students for national certification and state licensure to practice medicine as part of the healthcare team. 

At a time when the need for healthcare services is rapidly expanding, restricting access to financial support for future healthcare providers is a step in the wrong direction. PAs are one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the nation. The PA profession is consistently ranked among the top U.S. healthcare and overall jobs. Capping student loans for PAs and other healthcare professionals at an inappropriately low rate would deter the next generation of PAs and further undermine efforts to address workforce shortages.

The cost of PA school tuition exceeds the proposed “graduate” cap. PA programs are highly competitive and require a full-time curriculum that often carries restrictions on students’ abilities to work. Without access to sufficient federal student loans, many students will not have the means to complete their education. Fewer PAs and other healthcare professionals will mean less access to care, especially for those in rural communities who are more likely to rely on PAs and other non-physician providers for their care.

While this proposed change could impact students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, it would disproportionately impact aspiring PAs from low-income backgrounds or historically underserved communities. These students would be held back not because of a lack of ability or commitment, but because of limits that have no basis in law.

We urge the Department of Education to revise the proposal rule to comply with the statutory definition, ensure that PA programs are properly classified as professional programs in the final rule, and request that PA students retain access to the federal loans required to complete their training.
 

The PA profession was founded to expand access to care. We ask the Department to uphold that mission – not limit it.

Sincerely,