Action Center
The U.S. Department of Education has released a proposed rule that does not explicitly include Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) programs in the definition of professional degree programs.
If finalized as written, this change could significantly reduce federal student loan access for APRN students under the new limits established by H.R. 1 (The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025).
This is not simply a student finance issue; it is a workforce and patient access issue.
APRN programs are graduate-level, licensure-based, clinically intensive programs that clearly meet the long-standing definition of professional degrees. Excluding them would create inequitable barriers and threaten the pipeline of advanced practice nurses serving Arkansas and our rural communities. Additionally, the exclusion of APRNs from the definition of professional degrees could hold unknown implications for APRNs and also negatively impact the pipeline of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Registered Nurses (RNs), as APRNs are already in shortage as faculty required to teach these programs.
If finalized as written, this change could significantly reduce federal student loan access for APRN students under the new limits established by H.R. 1 (The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025).
This is not simply a student finance issue; it is a workforce and patient access issue.
APRN programs are graduate-level, licensure-based, clinically intensive programs that clearly meet the long-standing definition of professional degrees. Excluding them would create inequitable barriers and threaten the pipeline of advanced practice nurses serving Arkansas and our rural communities. Additionally, the exclusion of APRNs from the definition of professional degrees could hold unknown implications for APRNs and also negatively impact the pipeline of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Registered Nurses (RNs), as APRNs are already in shortage as faculty required to teach these programs.
Public comments are due by March 2, 2026.