Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would significantly impact federal student loan amounts

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would significantly impact federal student loan amounts... 

The U.S. Department of Education has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would significantly impact federal student loan amounts available to post-baccalaureate nursing students. Since the Department has not identified nursing as a "professional degree," nursing students in master's and doctoral programs would only be eligible for significantly lower annual ($20,500 vs. $50,000) and aggregate lifetime ($100,000 vs. $200,000) loan limits. These proposed changes are not yet final.

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Here are three actions you can take today:

1. Submit Comments: Send comments to the Department of Education through AACN's Action Center. We encourage you to choose from the three tailored comments below and personalize your message. Send these comments before March 2nd.   
• For Faculty and Deans, click here.
• For Students, click here.
• For Advocates and Supporters, click here
2. Email your member of Congress: Please reach out to your Representative and Senators today to request that they sign on to a congressional comment letter supporting the inclusion of nursing as a professional degree. The deadline for your member of Congress to join this comment letter is Friday, February 27, 2026.
3. Share these Take Action opportunities with all of your networks as we work to have as many personalized comments submitted to the Department as possible.

Are you a member of a state or national association? If so, please share our Nursing and Friends letter with these organizations and have them join more than 100 (and counting!) state and national professional associations in support of nursing as a professional degree.

 

For more information, visit AACN's Nursing is a Professional Degree Hub for one-pagers, talking points, and other resources related to this rulemaking process and ongoing response efforts, including from our Congressional champions.

 

Your engagement on this issue is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support of academic nursing!

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Earl Lee
Assistant Dean and Clinical Assistant Professor
Arizona State University
Phoenix AZ