11 programs meet criteria for professional degrees
President Donald Trump and his administration will begin imposing new limits on federal student loans issued on or after July 1, 2026.
Undergraduate borrowers will have the same current limit of up to $7,500 per year for dependent students, depending on class year. But graduate and professional students will face new limits of up to $20,500 per year for graduate study ($100,000 total) and $50,000 per year for professional programs ($200,000 total).
Graduate PLUS loans, which previously allowed students to borrow up to their total tuition costs, will be eliminated.
according to proposed regulationA professional degree “implies both the completion of academic requirements and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree to begin practice in a particular profession.”
The Department for Education has identified 11 degree fields that meet the requirements to be considered professional and therefore eligible for higher loan limits under the new rules:
- Pharmacy (D. of Pharmacy)
- Doctorate in dentistry (DDS or DMS)
- Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
- Chiropractic (DC or DCM)
- Law (LLB or JD)
- Medicine (MD)
- Optometry (OD)
- Osteopathic medicine (DO)
- Podiatry (DPM, DP or Pod.D.)
- Theology (M.Div. or MHL)
- Clinical psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)
The addition of clinical psychology is a recent feature of the department. negotiated rule making Session where stakeholders discussed the credit limit rule and how it should be implemented.
The Ministry also ensures that the programs are at least 44 other areas Students may qualify if they meet certain criteria, including giving them “a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree,” usually resulting in a doctoral-level degree, and requiring professional licensure to begin practice.
Potentially suitable programs include a number of other pharmacy degrees, clinical counseling and theological studies. Sarah Austin, a policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, says institutions are responsible for determining whether a program meets the requirements to be considered a professional degree.
Professional organizations are responding
Some professional organizations have expressed concerns about the list of degrees eligible for the $200,000 total federal loan limit and the Department of Education’s definition of vocational programs.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing stated, “Although the complexity, rigor, and necessity of postgraduate nursing education are widely recognized, the Department’s proposal defines professional programs so narrowly that nursing, the nation’s largest healthcare profession, is excluded.” he said. Press release 7 November. “If this proposal is finalized, the impact on our already strained nursing workforce will be devastating.”
“Removal of confidentiality [Master of Social Work] And [Doctorate of Social Work] “Master’s degrees will reduce access to affordable social work education, thereby increasing reliance on high-interest private loans,” said the Florida chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Press release On November 20.
One information note Released on November 24, the Department of Education said: “The definition of ‘professional degree’ is an internal definition used by the Department to distinguish between programs that qualify for higher credit limits, and not a value judgment about the importance of programs. It has nothing to do with whether a program is professional in nature.”
The purpose behind the credit limits is to deter borrowers from taking on more debt than they can handle and to encourage institutions to rein in tuition costs, the ministry said.
However, the credit limit arrangement is not final. The Department of Education will publish the regulation in its current form in the federal register in the coming months, and the public will have the opportunity to provide feedback before it is finalized.
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