A coalition of nursing and other health care organizations are angry over a Trump administration plan that could limit access to student loans in some cases.
Students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, public health and some other fields would face tighter federal student loan limits under the plan because it doesn’t consider them professional programs.
The revamp is part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress.
While graduate students could previously borrow loans up to the cost of their degree, the new rules would set caps depending on whether the degree is considered a graduate or professional program.
The Education Department is defining the following fields as professional programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology.
Left out are nursing, physical therapy, dental hygiene, occupational therapy and social work as well as fields outside of health care such as architecture, education, and accounting.
While the plan is still being finalized, the new student loan caps would take effect next July.