Nursing Excluded from "Professional Degree" Status as New Federal Student Loan Rules Take Shape 

What Does This Mean for School Nurses and How NASN is Responding

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) implementation of the new federal student loan law has ignited intense backlash across the nursing profession after regulators excluded nursing from the federal definition of a “professional degree” program. The decision affects how nursing students access graduate-level financial aid and could have long-term consequences for an already strained health-care workforce. 

Under the new framework, graduate students are capped at $20,500 in annual borrowing, while those in fields designated as “professional” may borrow up to $50,000 annually, with a $200,000 lifetime cap. ED’s draft list includes medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, clinical psychology, law, and others.

Nursing—along with physician assistant, physical therapy, audiology, and nurse practitioner programs—was notably absent. 

The omission is significant. With the term tied directly to loan eligibility, the exclusion has a material impact on graduate nursing students. 

Why the Exclusion Matters

This regulatory interpretation arrives at a time when the nation faces acute shortages of nurses, nurse faculty, and advanced practice clinicians.

Education researchers and national nursing organizations warn that the new rules could:

• Reduce access to graduate degrees due to lower annual borrowing limits.
• Decrease enrollment in APRN, school-nurse leadership, and nursing faculty programs.
• Worsen workforce shortages in primary care, mental health, rural health, and school health settings.
• Limit the pipeline to essential clinical and public-health nursing roles.

National nursing organizations responded immediately. The Nursing Community Coalition (NCC), which includes NASN, submitted comments urging ED to explicitly include post-baccalaureate nursing programs within the professional-degree definition. NCC emphasized that nursing meets federal criteria: licensure is required for practice, graduate training develops advanced competencies, and nursing programs fall within federally recognized health-professional instructional fields. Other health-professional coalitions have issued similar recommendations.

NASN’s Message to School Nurses

School nursing is a profession. Your preparation is professional. NASN is actively engaged in coalition comments, monitoring regulatory developments, and preparing advocacy tools so members can share their voices with policymakers. As this process continues, NASN will keep members informed and continue to defend the pathways that enable school nurses to obtain the advanced preparation students rely on.

Protect the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a foundational federal law that guarantees children and youth with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Serving individuals from birth through age 21, IDEA ensures that students receive personalized instruction and services that support their strengths and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. 

Established 50 years ago, IDEA was enacted during a time when many children with disabilities were denied access to public education. That hard-won progress could now be at risk. 

More than 7.5 million students benefit from IDEA’s protections. Central to the law is the requirement for individualized support, accommodations, and instruction in the least restrictive environment. 

Fully Fund IDEA

CDC Revises Vaccine-Autism Language: What School Nurses Should Know

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revised language on its “Autism and Vaccines” webpage, stating that studies have “not ruled out the possibility” that certain infant vaccines may contribute to autism. This represents a notable shift from longstanding federal messaging that clearly stated vaccines do not cause autism.

For school nurses—trusted health leaders in school communities—this change may prompt renewed questions from families and could affect local vaccine confidence and compliance.

Why This Matters

School nurses routinely counsel families, support immunization compliance, and address misinformation. When national messaging changes abruptly, it can create confusion, even when the underlying scientific evidence remains the same. School nurses are seeing:

• More parents questioning long-established vaccine science
• Increased requests for exemptions
• Conflicting information circulating online
• Greater time spent clarifying what the CDC change does and does not mean

NASN’s Evidence-Based Position

NASN’s Evidence-Based Position Statement: Immunization and Vaccine Requirements reaffirms that routine childhood vaccines are safe, effective, and essential to student health. Decades of rigorous research continue to show no causal link between vaccines and autism.

How School Nurses Can Support Families

• Lead with clarity and compassion. Acknowledge that federal language changes can be confusing while offering evidence-based reassurance.
• Keep explanations simple and consistent. Emphasize what the research shows and where trusted information can be found.
• Coordinate with local health partners. Public health agencies and pediatric providers remain important allies in countering misinformation.
• Monitor changes in vaccine compliance. Early awareness of hesitation trends can help prevent outbreaks in school settings.

What NASN Is Watching

NASN will continue monitoring federal communication changes and potential impacts on school vaccination practices, state policies, and family perceptions. Our commitment remains unchanged: supporting school nurses with trusted, evidence-based guidance that protects student health.

Ed Dept. Announces Major Shift of Programs Through Six New Interagency Agreements

The Department of Education (ED) announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with four federal agencies as part of an effort to break up the federal education department in order to continue the President’s goal of returning more control of education to the states.  

These new partnerships involve the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State.  

As part of this restructuring, ED announced that management of six programs will be transferred to partner agencies—one of the most substantial changes in the 46-year history of the department, long recognized as the central hub of federal grant-making, technical assistance, and civil rights enforcement in education. The programs being transferred include: 

These changes do not affect the management of special education (IDEA), civil rights enforcement, or student financial aid. However, a senior ED official indicated that the department continues to explore potential future options for those areas. 

NASN will be closely monitoring this situation. 

State-by-State Legislation

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