A sweeping regulatory proposal from the Trump administration is drawing sharp criticism from nursing organizations and higher education leaders, who warn that a narrow federal definition of “professional degree” could effectively lock graduate nursing students out of higher federal borrowing limits.

The change, authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, would halve the amount nursing students could borrow for master’s, doctoral, and advanced practice programs beginning in 2026.

Under the administration’s plan, only programs that meet the U.S. Department of Education’s new professional degree criteria would qualify for $50,000 in annual federal loans and a $200,000 lifetime cap.

Nursing degrees do not appear on that list.

Instead, graduate nursing students—including those preparing to become nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nursing faculty—would be limited to $20,500 in loans per year and $100,000 total.

For a field already struggling with workforce shortages, advocates say the implications would be severe.

Nursing Organizations Sound the Alarm

National Nurses United, the country’s largest union of registered nurses, condemned the proposal as “an attack on the nursing profession.”

“This would exclude graduate nursing students from professional loans, which have higher limits than those for other graduate students,” the union wrote, adding that “this is an insult to nurses, the most trusted profession in the nation.”

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing echoed those concerns.

In a press release, the organization said it is “deeply concerned” that the Department of Education’s proposed definition “excludes nursing and significantly limits student loan access,” despite the “complexity, rigor, and necessity of post-baccalaureate nursing education.”

AACN warned that the impact on the already strained nursing education pipeline could be devastating.

The Department of Education Responds

The administration rejected claims that the proposal devalues the nursing profession.

In a November 2024 fact sheet, the Department of Education said:

“The definition of a ‘professional degree’ is an internal definition used by the Department to distinguish among programs that qualify for higher loan limits, not a value judgment about the importance of programs.”

The department further asserted that “95% of nursing students borrow below the annual loan limit and therefore are not affected by the new caps.”

Many experts dispute that characterization.

Potential Ripple Effects Across the Workforce

Graduate nursing programs—particularly nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist tracks—are among the most expensive in public health education.

Critics argue that limiting access to federal loans would push students toward high-interest private debt or out of graduate education altogether.

The consequences could extend well beyond individual borrowers.

Nursing schools already face persistent faculty shortages, and most nursing faculty positions require graduate-level credentials.

Data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s 2024–2025 annual survey show the average age of a nursing professor is 60.1 years, with retirements expected to further strain the pipeline.

Rural and underserved communities, which rely heavily on nurse practitioners for primary care, could be hit especially hard.

“If the Trump administration truly wanted to support nurses, it would be working to improve working conditions, expand education opportunities, and ensure patients can get health care,” National Nurses United wrote. “Instead, this administration is stripping VA nurses of their union rights, making education harder to access, and cutting health care for those who need it most.”

The union linked the proposal to what it called a “manufactured nurse retention crisis,” arguing that shortages driven by hospital staffing cuts have already fueled burnout and unsafe working conditions.

Restricting access to advanced education, NNU said, “will only further contribute to forces driving nurses away from the bedside.”

What Happens Next

The Department of Education has emphasized that the rule is not final.

A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is expected within weeks, after which the public will have an opportunity to submit comments.

American Nurses Association president Jennifer Mensik Kennedy told CBS News that the situation may reflect a breakdown in communication.

“It feels like a miscommunication,” she said. “We hope the Department of Education changes the proposed language before the rule comes out for public comment.”

More than 230,000 people have signed ANA’s petition urging the department to add nursing back to its list of professional degrees.

Whether the administration will reconsider remains uncertain.

For the nation’s largest group of health care professionals, the outcome could shape the future of an already strained workforce.