ANA and 9 nursing organizations sue federal government over loan limits
A coalition of 10 nursing organizations, led by the American Nurses Association, filed a federal lawsuit May 29 to block the U.S. Department of Education's new rule that imposes lower federal loan limits for graduate nursing students than for those pursuing "professional degrees."
Beginning July 1, 2026, the rule would limit nursing graduate student borrowing to $20,500 per year and $100,000 in aggregate. That is half the $200,000 annual cap available to law, medicine, and other fields included in the "professional degrees" category.
The suit asks a federal court to block the new loan limits rule before July 1, when it is slated to take effect. This lawsuit is similar to a separate lawsuit filed May 19 by a coalition of attorneys general from 25 states, including Washington.
ANA argues the new rule would make it harder for nurses to afford graduate nursing programs, forcing many nurses pursuing advanced degrees to take out more expensive private loans or delay or abandon their education. According to the lawsuit, this comes at a time when advanced practice nurses are highly sought after, and the services they provide are filling gaps in primary care, particularly in rural areas.
"Increasing barriers to post-baccalaureate nursing education doesn't just limit opportunities and access to education, it limits patients' access to timely care from trusted, highly trained practitioners. We are exercising our due process rights to ensure this is corrected," said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, said in a press release.
The other nine plaintiffs are:
- American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
- Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
- American College of Nurse Midwives
- American Holistic Nurses Association,
- Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses
- Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated
- Health Ministries Association
- National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
- National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health.