In the past several months, the United States has seen immense national upheaval. We have seen sweeping changes in how education and education policy is being handled, among many other areas in our government. Due to the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Donald Trump signed into law, gaining access to vehicles to finance graduate education in particular fields, notably education and nursing, has been made significantly more difficult.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” restricts how much money in federal loans graduate students in certain fields can take out, in that it only allows students enrolled in programs designated as “professional degrees” to take out larger federal loans.
An article in Georgetown University’s The Feed described that students enrolled in graduate programs not classified as “professional degree” programs can borrow up to $100,000 (over the course of the program) whereas students enrolled in “professional degree” graduate programs can borrow up to $200,000 (over the course of the program). The government determining what is considered professional and what degrees are eligible for larger federal loans poses incredible harm to individuals and society.
An article in the University of Pittsburgh University Times detailed some of the wide-ranging graduate degrees that are no longer considered as “professional degrees,” which included, but were not limited to, education, social work, nursing, and physician assistant studies.
Teachers and healthcare professionals are essential to a functioning society. Not classifying graduate degrees in nursing and education as professional recklessly diminishes the value the professions of nursing and education bring our society.
On a societal level, placing caps on the amount of money graduate students in nursing and education can borrow is a threat to society. Teachers and nurses are critical to healing and guiding learning, both which help everyone contribute meaningfully to society. These caps on lending put degrees (in professions where critical shortages exist) out of reach for many folks who set out to do the noble and selfless work of healing and educating others.
Federal support for graduate education students, like federal student loans, is crucial for ensuring equity in graduate education and developing professionals contributing to society across fields.
A page on the Federal Student Aid website describes that federal student loans offer many benefits when compared to private loans: they have fixed rates, loan payments are not required until after graduation, and students taking out federal student loans do not need to go through a credit check process. These benefits federal loans offer often make them a more accessible option for a greater number of people.
Not including graduate education or nursing degrees in the list of “professional degree” programs and the financial implications this move carries for folks looking to go into teaching or nursing is yet another highly concerning marker of the state of disarray that our government is in.
