Starting in July 2026, degrees such as nursing, architecture, physical therapy, and education will no longer be considered ‘professional degrees.’ This will drastically reduce the financial support available for students who wish to pursue them.
A controversial decision by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). It is causing alarm in key sectors of the economy and healthcare services.
What Changes with the Repayment Assistance Plan
Under the terms of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”, all previous student loan programs will be replaced by the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). This new system sets strict limits based on whether a program is considered ‘professional’ or not.
Graduate students in programs not classified as professional will only be able to apply for loans of up to $20,500 per year, with a total maximum of $100,000. In contrast, those in programs considered ‘professional’ will have access to loans of up to $50,000 per year and $200,000 in total.
This measure represents a radical change from the previous system, where graduate students could apply for loans to cover the full cost of their educational program.
Degrees Excluded from Professional Classification
The list of programs that will not receive the ‘professional’ designation has sparked widespread surprise and concern. In the healthcare sector, fundamental degrees such as nursing, physician assistants, physical therapy, occupational therapy, dental hygiene, and audiology are excluded.
Other affected professions include architecture, accounting, education, social work, engineering, Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, counseling and therapy, and speech pathology.
What has drawn particular attention is that theology is included in the list of professional degrees, while nursing and other healthcare degrees are excluded, despite all requiring licenses, rigorous training, and professional exams.
Concerns Over Nursing Shortages
The exclusion of nursing from the professional category has generated particular alarm. The U.S. already faces a severe nursing staff shortage, and experts fear this measure will discourage more students from entering the profession due to financial concerns.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has launched a petition demanding that the ED include nursing as a professional degree. Meanwhile, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) issued a strong statement noting that “excluding nursing from the definition of professional degree programs ignores decades of progress toward parity among healthcare professions.”
Christopher Marsicano, a professor of educational studies at Davidson College, warned, “Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physical therapists are all professionals who help alleviate our national physician shortage. I’m concerned that we’ve set in motion not only a national physician shortage but also a future nursing shortage.”
Impact on Architecture and Education
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has also strongly rejected these changes. In its statement, the organization emphasizes that “the title of ‘architect’ is earned through years of rigorous education, extensive professional exams, and a demanding licensing process.”
The education sector faces similar challenges. At a time when there is a growing need for qualified teachers, reducing financial support for those who wish to study education could worsen the country’s teacher shortage.
Rising College Costs Context
This measure comes at a particularly difficult time for U.S. students. According to an NPR report, the average cost of tuition at both public and private universities has doubled over the past 30 years, adjusted for inflation.
Over the last decade, tuition costs for undergraduate students at public universities have increased by 30%, according to University Herald. Some institutions have also implemented 4% increases for the current academic year.
Critical Voices and Gender Perspective
Amy McGrath, a U.S. Senate candidate from Kentucky, questioned on social media: “Can anyone explain how a theologian is considered more ‘professional’ than a nurse practitioner?” McGrath argues that this reclassification disproportionately affects fields dominated by women, such as healthcare, counseling, and social work.
Kevin Kinser, a professor of educational policy studies at Penn State University, offered another perspective. “I don’t think the point is to distinguish professional degrees from other degrees in terms of loan eligibility. It’s about limiting the government’s exposure to loans that won’t be repaid.” Kinser notes that the list includes professions that generally result in high salaries while neglecting professions with lower incomes.
What’s Next?
Details on which degrees will be affected are not yet finalized and could change before the policy takes effect in July 2026. Meanwhile, various professional organizations continue to push for their fields to be reconsidered before the implementation date.
The lingering question is whether these measures will achieve the goal of reducing student debt or, instead, create barriers to accessing professions essential to the functioning of U.S. society.
Image: DiarioNY
