At the end of April, the Department of Education issued a final rule, Reimagining and Improving Student Education, which, when it goes into effect on July 1, will exclude graduate nursing programs from qualifying for the federal Grad Plus Student loan program for professional degrees—the category with the highest borrowing limit.

In response, Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) has introduced H.R.8691, the Nursing is a Professional Degree Act, and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has introduced S. 4568, a companion bill in the Senate. Both bills would enact a statutory change to make students enrolled in graduate nursing programs eligible for federal professional degree loans.

Excluding nursing from the definition of ‘professional degrees’ caps the amount of federal loans graduate nursing students can receive. The graduate loan cap is $20,500 annually and $100,000 total, while the ‘Professional’ loan cap is $50,000 annually and $200,000 total.

If not corrected, this exclusion would have direct financial, workforce, and public health implications as nursing students potentially abandon advanced practice education altogether. This would be especially concerning given the increasing demand for nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, and clinical nurse specialists, all of whom require post-baccalaureate education and advanced licensure to practice.

There has been a shortage of nurses in the country. Restricting access to these programs would only exacerbate the ongoing nurse faculty shortage, potentially reducing the number of nurses who can be educated.

Would you call your US representative and senators to urge them to cosponsor the Nursing is a Professional Degree Act?