What Schools Need to Know About Proposed Federal Loan Limits for Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Webinar Details
The U.S. Department of Education recently completed negotiated rulemaking meetings with the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee to inform how the Department will implement changes to student financial aid provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21). These proposed changes would place post-baccalaureate nursing students under the lower federal loan caps of $20,500 annually and $100,000 in aggregate lifetime limits, rather than the $50,000 annual and $200,000 aggregate limits available to "professional" degree programs.
AACN has been leading the effort to designate nursing as a “professional” degree. Join us to learn more about this ongoing policy development, what these loan limits mean for student affordability and program operations, and next steps as we prepare to comment on the upcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The webinar will also outline AACN’s advocacy efforts and explain how you can contribute data and insights to strengthen the nursing community’s response to federal policy impacting academic nursing.
Outcomes:
- Understand the history of the issue and describe the impact the proposed federal loan limit caps would have on post-baccalaureate programs and students.
- Learn how schools, faculty, and students can best participate in federal response as we prepare for the upcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Rachel L. Minahan, MA
Chief Government Affairs and Policy Officer
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Rachel Minahan joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2018, where she leads the Association’s advocacy and policy portfolio. In this role, she works closely with Members of Congress, the Administration, national coalitions, and AACN member institutions to advance health and health care through a nursing lens. She also serves as Executive Director of the Nursing Community Coalition, a 64-member organization representing a broad spectrum of nursing education, practice, research, and regulation.
Prior to AACN, Rachel spent more than a decade in government relations and policy, including eight years as a Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Assistant at Polsinelli and Wheat Government Relations. She began her career on Capitol Hill and as a field organizer in Iowa, experiences that grounded her deep commitment to public service and advocacy.
Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government from American University, and a Master of Arts in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She has also served as an assistant adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she taught courses on the foundations of health systems and policy.
Josh Adams, PhD
Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Josh Adams is AACN's Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs. Josh is a policy and research professional with extensive experience in advocacy, regulatory affairs, and strategic communications. He specializes in translating complex policy and research issues into clear, actionable insights that inform decision-making and drive organizational impact. With a background spanning nonprofit, association, and corporate sectors, Josh has led initiatives to advance policy priorities, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and develop evidence-based strategies that connect research to real-world outcomes.
Andrew Bryant
Government Affairs Coordinator
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Andrew Bryant joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in January 2024, where he helps implement AACN’s federal advocacy and legislative strategy. In this role, he helps keep various stakeholder groups and coalitions appraised of the latest developments at the federal level, leads presentations to student groups, coordinates various aspects of AACN’s Hill Days, and drafts advocacy alerts, press releases, and letters on key federal priorities.
Prior to AACN, Andrew worked for two years as a Policy Assistant at Faegre Drinker Biddle and Reath LLP, where he provided support to a team of government affairs professionals working in numerous issue areas, including healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and transportation. Andrew began his career in advocacy as a field organizer in Virginia, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Amanda Rosensky
Government Affairs and Policy Manager
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Amanda Rosensky joined the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) as the Government Affairs and Policy Manager in October 2025. Prior to joining AACN, Amanda was a Presidential Management Fellow and civil servant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, where she worked first as a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy specialist before moving to the Agency’s government affairs team where she liaised with Congress to ensure the success of the 16 federal nutrition programs. Amanda began her career as an AmeriCorps VISTA, serving at Wake Forest University to strengthen their community engagement. Amanda earned her Bachelor of Arts in Politics & International Affairs and History from Wake Forest University and has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Virginia.
Pricing and CE Credit
This webinar is free to deans, faculty, staff and students from AACN member schools of nursing. All non-member audiences will be required to pay a $59 webinar fee.
Continuing Nursing Education
One nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) credit is associated with this webinar; attendees must be present for the entire webinar and complete the evaluation to receive a certificate of completion.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.