U.S. Dept of Education clears the air on federal loan limits for nursing degrees
The U.S. Department of Education has pushed back against social media narratives suggesting that the White House no longer recognizes nursing as a professional career
by Summer Lane | November 28, 2025
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon hit back at “fake news” about the Trump administration’s position on graduate degree loan caps, denying rumors about a devaluation of nursing degrees.
“There’s been a lot of fake news swirling about this administration’s commitment to nurses. Here’s the truth: 95% of nursing programs are UNAFFECTED by @POTUS’ One Big Beautiful Bill grad loan caps,” McMahon wrote on X.
Polymarket, for example, reported that the “White House no longer considers nursing to be a ‘professional degree.’”
In an official release from the Department of Education, the agency explained its position: “The definition of a ‘professional degree’ 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 programs. It has no bearing on whether a program is professional in nature or not.”
It cited the passage of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which was signed into law in July. The legislation “placed commonsense limits on federal student loans for graduate degrees.”
The agency argued that these limits will drive down the cost of graduate programs and reduce students’ debt loads.
Under the terms of this legislation, professional degree programs must be identified to be eligible for higher loan limits.
From the department:
“Myth: Nurses will have a harder time securing federal student loans for their programs and this would contribute to the nationwide nursing shortage.
Fact: Department of Education data indicates that 95% of nursing students borrow below the annual loan limit and therefore are not affected by the new caps.
Further, placing a cap on loans will push the remaining graduate nursing programs to reduce their program costs, ensuring that nurses will not be saddled with unmanageable student loan debt.”
Importantly, the agency also noted that loan limits are strictly reserved for graduate programs; therefore these caps have “no impact on undergraduate nursing programs,” including four-year bachelor’s degrees and two-year associate’s degrees in related fields.
Photo: Adobe Stock
