Trump Admin Excludes Nursing from 'Professional Degrees' 🚑

A proposal from the Trump administration would exclude nursing from a list of professional degrees, a move that has drawn outcry from nursing advocates, who warn it could worsen the nation's nurse shortage by limiting how much students can borrow for their training.

The change stems from changes authorized by the Republicans' "one big, beautiful bill" act, which introduced a new cap on borrowing for higher education. Starting July 1, 2026, students enrolled in professional degree programs will be restricted to borrowing $50,000 per year, with a $200,000 lifetime cap.

Students in graduate programs that aren't deemed professional will be subject to an annual borrowing cap of $20,500 and a lifetime limit of $100,000.

Nursing professionals say they're alarmed by the proposed rule's definition of what constitutes a professional degree, which lists some medical fields, including pharmacy, dentistry and medical doctors, but doesn't include nursing. Capping loans for nursing students could ultimately restrict students' access to enrolling in degree programs at a time when the industry is already grappling with a shortage of nurses, they say.

Caption from article by Megan Cerullo, CBS News.