Graduate students studying nursing, physical therapy, and several other health-related fields will temporarily be able to borrow larger amounts in federal student loans, following a court ruling that blocked part of a Trump administration policy limiting how much they could borrow.
The U.S. Education Department announced a revised rule Monday aimed at complying with a federal judge’s order issued last week. Department officials described the change as temporary while they continue fighting in court to restore their original rule, which had classified medicine and law as “professional programs” but left out fields like nursing.
While the department disagrees with the judge’s decision, it will follow the order as the legal battle continues. Undersecretary Nicholas Kent released a statement saying, “We will continue to make the case that the definition is both lawful and appropriate.”
The ruling marks a temporary victory for eight groups that took the department to court over the issue. Those groups represent nurse practitioners, therapists, speech-language pathologists, and others who argued the original rule would harm their students.
However, in following the judge’s order precisely, the department has also removed some degree programs from the professional list — meaning those students will now face lower borrowing caps. Theology programs are among the most notable to lose their professional designation, though the master of divinity degree — commonly pursued by pastors and ministers — will remain on the professional list with access to higher loan amounts.
The updated rule takes effect Wednesday and stems from a broader student loan overhaul included in President Donald Trump’s tax legislation. Degrees classified as professional programs carry a federal loan cap of $200,000, while other graduate degrees are capped at $100,000. Previously, graduate students could borrow up to the full cost of attendance through federal loans.
Trump administration officials pushed for the new caps as a way to reduce student debt and bring down tuition costs they said had grown out of control.
The groups that filed suit argued the original rule would force students to either abandon their education or turn to riskier private loans. While many graduate nursing programs fall under the $100,000 cap, some — particularly in high-demand specialties like nurse anesthesia — can exceed that amount.
In a notice sent to universities Monday, the Education Department expressed confidence that the original rule would ultimately hold up in court. The revised rule is expected to stay in place during the judge’s preliminary stay, though the department cautioned that it “may change as litigation in the case proceeds.”
The original rule had identified roughly a dozen programs as professional degrees — a designation the Trump administration said was based on a technical definition dating back to the 1960s, not a judgment on the importance of any particular field. That original list included law, medicine, theology, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, clinical psychology, and others.
The new temporary rule expands that list to 29 specific degree programs. Newly added programs include the master of science in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, and doctor of nurse anesthesia practice. Physical therapy, athletic training, speech-language pathology, physician associates, and anesthesiologist assistants were also added to the professional category.
The department also released a list of roughly 25 programs now considered non-professional. In addition to theology, that list includes applied psychology and pharmaceutical sciences, among others. The doctor of pharmacy degree, however, remains classified as professional.
The judge who issued last week’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington, called the department’s original definition “misguided” and said it strayed from a longstanding definition established by Congress. The ruling specifically blocked parts of the department’s definition that had been added through a federal rulemaking process.
The department’s original criteria for professional programs included requirements such as taking at least six years to complete and requiring a license before a graduate can begin practicing. It also specified that professional degrees could not lead to jobs requiring supervision by someone with greater education, training, or qualifications.
A separate legal challenge brought by a coalition of Democratic-led states, which targets the loan caps more broadly, remains ongoing in court.
