NCC urges Education Department to consider nursing’s needs

AONL and 55 other members of the Nursing Community Coalition urged the Department of Education to consider the needs of current and future nurses when implementing provisions of the recently passed reconciliation bill pertaining to federal student loan limits. The NCC recommended the Department of Education explicitly include post-baccalaureate nursing programs in the regulatory definition of “professional degree programs”, which would enable students in advanced practice registered nursing programs to be eligible for greater loan amounts than under the “graduate degree” category. The law specifies the new loan limits of $20,500 annually and $100,000 aggregate for graduate degree programs and $50,000 annually and $200,000 aggregate for professional degree programs. The NCC says the “professional” category is imperative to sustain a robust health care workforce. (NCC letter, 8/25/25)