Trump administration plan to reduce access to some student loans angers
nurses, health care groups
[November 25, 2025]
By COLLIN BINKLEY and JOHN SEEWER
WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of nursing and other health care
organizations are angry over a Trump administration plan that could
limit access to student loans in some cases.
Students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, public
health and some other fields would face tighter federal student loan
limits under the plan because it doesn't consider them professional
programs.
The revamp is part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress.
While graduate students could previously borrow loans up to the cost of
their degree, the new rules would set caps depending on whether the
degree is considered a graduate or professional program.
The Education Department is defining the following fields as
professional programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine,
chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry
and theology.
Left out are nursing, physical therapy, dental hygiene, occupational
therapy and social work as well as fields outside of health care such as
architecture, education, and accounting.
While the plan is still being finalized, the new student loan caps would
take effect next July.
Why this is happening now
The Trump administration says limits on graduate loans are needed to
reduce tuition costs. It believes that capping student loans will push
universities charging higher-than-average tuition to look at lowering
rates.
To define what counts as a professional program, the Education
Department is turning to a 1965 law governing student financial aid. The
law includes several examples of professional degrees but says it isn't
an exhaustive list. The Trump administration's proposal, by contrast,
says only the degrees spelled out in the new regulation can count as
professional programs.
One in 6 of the nation’s registered nurses held a master’s degree as of
2022, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
The details of the plan were recently hashed out in a federal rulemaking
process.
What this means for students
Some future students could find it more costly or difficult to pursue a
specialized degree. Under the new plan, students in professional
programs would be able to borrow $50,000 a year and up to $200,000 in
total.
Other graduate students, such as those pursuing nursing and physical
therapy, would be limited to $20,500 a year and up to $100,000 total.
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People protest outside the White House in Washington, May 12, 2022.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
 Trump administration says impact
will be minimal
The Education Department says its data show 95% of nursing students,
for example, are in graduate programs that won’t be affected by the
new caps. The department says the vast majority of students are in
programs that cost less than the $100,000 cap being proposed for
federal student loans.
Students already enrolled in graduate programs would be
grandfathered into current lending limits.
Health groups say change will worsen nursing shortage
A coalition of health care organizations has urged the Education
Department to change course, arguing that post-bachelor’s health
care degrees that are needed for licensure or certification should
be considered a professional degree.
They also say that fields being excluded are largely filled by women
and in high-demand. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report in
2019, women made up about three-fourths of the full-time, year-round
health care workers in the U.S. and accounted for a much higher
share in jobs such as dental and medical assistants.
The organizations contend that capping federal student loans will
make the ongoing nursing shortage even worse, force students to seek
more expensive private loans and threaten patient care.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing says if the proposal
is finalized, “the impact on our already-challenged nursing
workforce would be devastating.”
Giving nurses a chance to further their education and advance their
careers has attracted young people to the profession, said Susan
Pratt, a nurse who is also president of a union representing nurses
in Toledo, Ohio.
But making that harder could push away future nurses, she said.
“It's just a smack in the face,” Pratt said. “When we were during
the pandemic, the nurses showed up, and this is the thanks we get.”
___
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
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