We need your help! The Department of Education is currently undergoing a rulemaking process that would significantly impact the loan amounts available to post-baccalaureate nursing students. Senate Nursing Caucus Co-Chair, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), is currently circulating a sign-on letter to the Department of Education outlining concerns with the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee’s proposal that does not include post-baccalaureate nursing programs as a “professional degree.” Sen. Merkley is asking his congressional colleagues to sign onto this letter to show support for nursing as a “professional degree.” Please ask your federal policymakers to sign onto this letter by COB Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

AACN is the leading voice urging the inclusion of nursing as a “professional degree.” Unfortunately, at the end of the RISE Committee meetings, the definition of “professional degrees” did not include post-baccalaureate nursing education. As a result, students enrolled in these nursing programs will be eligible for significantly lower annual and aggregate lifetime loan limits compared to students in “professional degree” programs ($20,500 annually and $100,000 in total borrowing for “graduate degrees,” compared to $50,000 annually and $200,000 in total for “professional degrees”). If not corrected, this exclusion would have direct financial, workforce, and public health implications as nursing students potentially face the decision to take out high-interest, private loans or abandon advanced practice education altogether. These proposed changes are not yet finalized. 

As we wait for the Department of Education to publish the proposed rule and open a formal comment period in the coming weeks, please ask your federal policymakers to sign onto Sen. Merkley’s letter by the December 9 deadline. We appreciate your advocacy on this time-sensitive request.