A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is putting students in many graduate programs on alert, as the agency moves to narrow which degrees count as “professional” under upcoming federal loan rules.
The proposal is tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which creates two different lifetime federal loan limits. Students in approved professional programs can borrow up to roughly $200,000, while everyone else will be capped at around $100,000 starting July 1, 2026.
Under the DOE’s definition, only a small group of doctoral-level programs would qualify. That includes: medicine, dentistry, law, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, chiropractic and some theological degrees.
That leaves previously covered programs such as nursing, physical therapy, social work, architecture and some educational graduate programs no longer eligible for large federal loans.
Graduates and graduate students in fields that don’t make the list said the difference could decide whether they can afford their degrees at all.
American Nurses Association President Jennifer Mensik said that people who rely on high-level, board-certified medical professionals, like nurses, may see a drop in care and qualifications.
These post-baccalaureate programs provide opportunities for students to obtain licensing and certifications for practices, especially those providing care in communities where that type of care isn’t readily accessible.
“Americans should be very concerned about the impact of this proposal on patient care,” Mensik said.
Programs outside that cluster would stay under the lower cap, even if they require advanced training, lead to licensure or fill growing workforce needs.
Students in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, social work and public health have raised similar concerns.
Many said their programs require years of coursework and clinical hours, but still would not qualify for the higher cap under the department’s definition.
Administrators at several colleges warned that fewer students may be able to enroll if borrowing options shrink.
The DOE has said the rule is not meant to judge the value of any field. Officials have noted that the list of professional degrees has existed in some form for decades and that the current rulemaking is part of aligning federal loan caps with existing classifications.
According to Vineet Arora, vice dean of education at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, private med schools already cost north of $300,000, including living expenses.
Lack of access to loans could make it harder for members of the low and middle classes to apply to and attend medical schools.
“That will automatically give a lot of people some pause to think about where they’re accepted and what their finances are,” Arora said.
Some programs have already warned applicants to prepare for changes to financial aid packages if the rule goes through.
