WSNA opposes excluding nursing from ​“professional degree” programs

WSNA is deeply disturbed by a proposal to exclude nursing graduate programs from being considered “professional degree” by the U.S. Department of Education (DoE). Exclusion from that category would mean placing sharp limits on subsidized loans for nursing graduate students. They would be limited to borrowing $20,500 in a year, or $100,000 total. Students in several other programs, including medicine, law, and theology, could borrow up to $50,000 in a year, or $200,000 total.

Nursing is a profession—the largest health profession in the U.S. Students in graduate programs—preparing for advanced practice, leadership, and faculty roles—need to be able to finance their education. Without access to sufficient loans, the impact on the nursing workforce, including the work of preparing new nurses to enter the workforce, can be severe.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) has prepared a fact sheet explaining the proposal. The DoE is expected to issue this proposal shortly, at which time it is open for public comment. In the meantime, we urge everyone to sign this petition to urge the DoE to include nursing in its definition of professional degrees.