Nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, and the healthcare workforce are the backbone of our healthcare system, and they deserve our thanks. Without their hard work and dedication, our hospitals and health system would cease to function. We see the tremendous work you do for our communities, not only in Oklahoma but across the country. You show up for people at their hardest moments and darkest times, yet you provide care with a level of strength, compassion, and dedication that inspires all of us. We saw your courage during the Covid-19 pandemic where you went above and beyond to make sure loved ones could see their families again, and we are grateful that you continue this dedication each day.
The Department of Education recently released a rule making process changing the definition of a “professional degree”. The agency did not reach this definition unilaterally or arbitrarily. In fact, this definition comes directly from the feedback received from the public and a negotiated rule making committee, which included a broad range of higher education officials and stakeholders. This definition is an internal definition used by the Department to distinguish among programs that qualify for higher loan limits, NOT a value judgement about the importance of the programs that do or do not qualify. Put simply, the designation has no bearing on whether a program is professional in nature or not. Furthermore, this label does NOT reflect the importance of the nursing profession or the value of their skills. It is purely an administrative term used for determining federal loan limits. This is not yet final, and there will be another opportunity for the public to weigh in on this rule before anything is finalized.
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act placed commonsense limits on federal student loans for individuals wanting to enroll in graduate degree programs. Beginning on July 1, 2026, graduate students who are not in a designated professional program can borrow up to $20,500 per year with a lifetime limit of $100,000. Students in programs with higher future earning potential, such as medicine or law, may borrow up to $50,000 annually with a lifetime limit of $200,000. It is also important to note that according to the Department’s own data, 95% of graduate nursing students borrow below the current annual loan limit. In addition, 80% of the nursing workforce does not hold a graduate degree.
These limits are intended to help drive down the cost of graduate programs and reduce debt burdening our students. In fact, graduate students received more than half of all new federal student loans originated in recent years. These loans now make up half of the outstanding $1.7 trillion federal student loan holdings, allowing institutes of higher education to dramatically increase tuition rates, even for degrees with modest earning potential. This discrepancy has crippled too many borrowers with astronomical debts they will never be able to repay while allowing the cost of education to continue to increase. These policies are one step towards right-sizing this cost to benefit imbalance.
