Please take action by submitting a comment to protect midwifery education and access to maternal health.
The U.S. Department of Education is considering a proposed rule that could significantly limit access to federal student loans for certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. ACNM members’ voices are urgently needed.
The proposed rule, Reimagining and Improving Student Education (Docket ID: 2026-01912), would exclude advanced practice nursing and midwifery degrees (i.e., MSN, DNP, Ph.D., MS, DM) from the definition of “professional degree programs” eligible for higher federal loan limits. If finalized, this policy could make nursing and midwifery education more difficult to afford, deter future students from entering the profession, and weaken the maternal health workforce at a time when the nation is facing a maternal health crisis.
Certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives are essential to improving maternal health outcomes and expanding access to care—especially in rural and underserved communities where maternity care options are disappearing. Limiting access to affordable federal financing for midwifery education directly threatens the pipeline of clinicians needed to meet growing demand for high-quality maternity care.
Now is the time to speak up. The Department of Education is accepting public comments through March 2, 2026, and regulators need to hear directly from nurses and midwives about the real-world impact this proposal would have on students, patients, and communities.
ACNM encourages all members to submit a public comment urging the Department to include Nursing and Midwifery degrees (i.e., MSN, DNP, Ph.D., MS, DM) in the definition of professional degree programs. Share how loan limits affect nursing and midwifery education, workforce diversity, rural access to care, or maternal health outcomes. Reinforce that CNMs and CMs are highly trained, highly educated, evidenced-based, licensed professionals critical to addressing the nation’s maternal health crisis.
ACNM has developed a draft comment letter to make participation easy. However, it is essential that you include your own personal stories and perspectives on how this proposal, if adopted, could negatively impact the advanced practicing nursing and midwifery pipeline in the United States.
Your voice matters. Federal regulators need to understand that supporting nursing and midwifery education is not just an education issue, it is a maternal health and access-to-care imperative. Please share this call to action widely with anyone you know that supports increasing access to Advanced Practice Nurses, CNMs and CMs, and midwifery-led care.
Please submit your comment before March 2, 2026.
Thank you for taking action to protect the future of advanced practice nursing and midwifery and the communities we serve.