Judge Blocks Trump Plan That Would Limit Graduate Student Loans in Nursing and Other Fields
A federal judge blocked part of the Trump administration’s plan that would have limited access to loans for students with master’s degrees in nursing, physical therapy, public health and some other fields.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit, called the decision “an important step for NP students, future healthcare professionals, and the patients who depend on them” in a Facebook post Thursday.
At issue are caps on federal student loans that were passed as part of the One Big Good Bill Act and will go into effect in July.
While graduate students were previously able to receive loans equal to the cost of their degree, new rules impose limitations. Programs designated as “graduate” programs have a loan limit of $100,000, while professional degrees have a ceiling of $200,000.
The Department of Education has identified the following fields as professional programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, and theology.
Eight groups representing nurse practitioners, therapists, public health workers, speech-language pathologists, physician assistants and more filed the lawsuit. All are excluded from the new definition.
The groups claimed students would be forced to give up their education or accept burdensome private loans.
While U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell paused the Department of Education’s definition of “professional degree” late Wednesday, she took issue with the agency making updates that added “more stringent requirements” to the definition. These new requirements include that professional degree holders “must work independently of the supervision of another professional.”
Howell said Congress did not give the Department of Education that authority and expressed concern that losing opportunities for prospective students “would be detrimental to the public, especially in underserved communities that may face a lack of health care and other critical professional services.”
The decision does not stop the credit limits, just an updated definition of professional degree.
In its written statement, the Ministry of National Education said that “the decision is being examined and necessary measures will be taken.” He has previously defended caps on student loans, saying they encourage colleges and universities to lower tuition costs.
A lawsuit filed by a coalition of Democratic-led states that also challenges the limits is still pending.
