On the eve of National Nurses Week, the Department of Education released its unpublished final rule, set to take effect on July 1, 2026, that excludes nursing from its definition of professional degree programs. Despite thousands of comments from the nursing community and the public, pushback from more than 150 bipartisan members of Congress, and a demonstrated need for nurses across the healthcare workforce, the Department of Education has made it clear that it does not consider nursing to be a professional degree.

While the Department concedes that post-baccalaureate nursing programs meet their prescribed definition of a professional degree, the final rule denies higher student loan limits for master's and doctoral nursing students based on an undefined set of contextual requirements created by the Department. AACN firmly opposes this rule and the rationale used to legitimize this arbitrary and capricious decision that will diminish the nation’s healthcare workforce and the public’s health.

This decision comes as AACN members submitted more than 3,000 comments to the Department of Education, met with federal officials, and led a broad coalition effort that included 277 national and state organizations. Throughout this process, nursing schools, faculty, students, and supporters urged the Department to explicitly include post-baccalaureate nurses (MSN, DNP, PhD) in the definition of professional degree programs to ensure affordable access to nursing education.

AACN, our member schools, and nurses across the country are angered by the Department of Education’s failure to support the nursing profession as the demand for patient care services rises. We will continue to lead the academic nursing community and actively pursue all available avenues to address the harmful implications of this ill-advised decision. AACN remains committed to working with Congress, the Administration, and key stakeholders to rectify this reckless decision and to ensure strong and affordable pathways for America’s future nursing workforce.