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Department of Education Proposed Rule Will Have Disastrous Impact on Nursing

Jan. 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education released a proposed rule excluding nurse practitioner programs from the professional-degree definition, limiting federal loan borrowing for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists .
Explaining the objection, nursing groups stress NPs are APRNs trained at the master's or doctoral level to provide comprehensive care, opposing the Department's restrictive definition.
The AANA represents 461,000 licensed NPs, who perform nearly one billion patient visits annually, highlighting their critical role in healthcare, as of 2024.
A survey of AANA members found 75% of CRNA respondents said CRNA education would no longer be financially feasible and nearly 80% were very concerned about taking out private loans.
Advocacy groups have urged the Department to amend its definition to include NP programs, and the AANA says it will fight the proposal during the open comment period while the AANP leads policy efforts.

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Mason City Globe Gazette

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Department of Education Proposed Rule Will Have Disastrous Impact on Nursing

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Education has released a proposed rule that would exclude nurse practitioner (NP) programs from the definition of professional degree, and in doing so limit student access to federal student loans…

2 days ago

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Newswise

AANA Responds to U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Newly Released Proposed Rule on Student Loan Caps and Advanced Nursing Degrees

The AANA is extremely disappointed to see the U.S. Department of Education move forward with their proposal limiting federal graduate student loan borrowing available to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other advanced practice nursing degrees.

2 days ago·Charlottesville, United States

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