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Local Advocates Concerned over Trump Admin. Omission of Nursing as Professional Degree Program
The Department of Education's new rule excludes nursing from professional degree status, limiting federal loan access for graduate students and potentially worsening the nursing shortage, officials said.
- The U.S. Department of Education proposed excluding nursing from professional degrees, with a rule set to take effect July 1, 2026, limiting loans to $50,000 annually and $200,000 lifetime, published in the Federal Register.
- Eliminating the Grad PLUS program, the DoE says, the change stems from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Act and aims to prevent 'insurmountable debt' as the student loan portfolio nears $1.7 trillion.
- Cost data show typical nurse anesthesia degrees cost $120,000–$140,000, exceeding nursing's $100,000 loan cap; the DoE said 95% of nursing students won't be impacted, but AACN called it devastating.
- Nursing organizations and advocates warn the change will reduce graduate nursing students, shrinking the workforce and risking higher mortality as Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, links understaffing to 7% increased mortality.
- The proposal, published for comment, allows grandfathering for the most expensive outlying 5%, but advocates warn that over 65,000 qualified applicants are turned away, risking nurse shortages like North Carolina's 17,500 need.
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32 Articles
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Total News Sources32
Leaning Left3Leaning Right18Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Right
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Right
56% Right
C 34%
R 56%
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