Advocacy in Action: Nursing is a Professional Degree

The comment period for the Department of Education’s (ED) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is now closed. Thank you to our schools, faculty, students, AACN Advocates, and supporters of nursing education, who:

• Submitted 3,089 comments to the Department through AACN’s Action Center
• Sent 3,152 messages to federal policymakers urging them to sign on to a bipartisan, bicameral congressional comment letter supporting the inclusion of nursing as a professional degree in ED’s final rule.

We now await the final rule and will keep our members up to date as we hear more.

Take Action Today: Ask your Representative to Support Title VIII Funding

House Nursing Caucus leaders are currently circulating a Dear Colleague Letter urging the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to provide $610 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs in Fiscal Year 2027. The deadline for your federal Representative to sign onto the House's Dear Colleague Letter is Friday, March 13.

Send a Message Today

Deadline this Friday: Register for the 2026 Student Policy Summit

Time is running out to register for the 2026 AACN Student Policy Summit! This two-day conference in Washington, DC, March 30-31, brings together baccalaureate and graduate nursing students from AACN member institutions for an immersive experience at the intersection of nursing and federal policy. Register your students to join this year’s Summit by March 6.

Register Now

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