AONL supports loan access for advanced nursing education

AONL and 56 national nursing organizations recently urged the U.S. Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education Committee to explicitly include post-baccalaureate nursing programs in the regulatory definition of “professional degree programs” when creating rules to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In a statement released last week, AONL CEO Claire Zangerle, DNP, RN, noted, “This request is critical because the designation would allow post-baccalaureate nursing students to qualify for higher federal loan amounts than under the current ‘graduate degree’ category.” She added many advance-degree seeking nursing students carry signification debt. Such a change in the regulation "is critical to building a stronger health care workforce and preparing the next generation of nurses to meet the nation’s needs,” said Zangerle. The Department of Education is expected to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the coming weeks, providing stakeholders additional opportunities to submit comments. AONL is closely monitoring this process and will update members as developments occur. (AONL news release, 11/21/25)