Nurse.org (11/20/25) Brusie, Chaunie
The U.S. Department of Education's decision to exclude nursing from its newly defined list of “professional degree” programs under President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act has sparked widespread concern among nursing organizations. The new measures, set to go into effect on July 1, 2026, will strip graduate nursing students of access to federal loan programs and certain loan forgiveness programs reserved for professional degrees. While fields such as medicine, law, dentistry, and clinical psychology qualify for up to $50,000 annually in loans under the new Repayment Assistance Plan, nurse practitioners, along with physician assistants and physical therapists, are notably left out - a move critics warn could worsen the nursing shortage, deter students from pursuing advanced practice roles, and reinforce harmful stereotypes about the profession. Groups like the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing argue that nursing clearly meets the criteria of a professional discipline and stress that excluding it undermines both workforce equity and patient care, particularly in rural and underserved communities. With more than 267,000 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students currently enrolled nationwide, experts caution that making advanced nursing education more expensive risks discouraging future nurses and weakening the healthcare system at a time of unprecedented demand.
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