WA joins lawsuit over student loan limits on graduate nursing programs
This story appears in the May 2026 issue of the WSNA Newsletter.
A coalition of attorneys general from 24 states, including Washington, filed a lawsuit May 19 in federal court challenging a Department of Education rule that limits access to federal student loans for programs not considered “professional degrees.” WSNA fully supports the effort.
The American Nurses Association said they plan to file a separate nurse-focused lawsuit in partnership with other nursing organizations also challenging the Department of Education’s exclusion of nursing from the definition of “professional degree” programs in the rule.
On April 30, the United States Department of Education finalized new limits on federal student loan borrowing that drastically limit what nursing graduate students can take out in federal loans.
In the past, graduate students could borrow up to the full cost of attendance. The new rule limits graduate student borrowing to $20,500 per year and $100,000 in aggregate.
Those designated as being in a “professional” degree program can borrow up to $50,000 per year and $200,000 in aggregate.
Under the new rule, post-baccalaureate nursing programs are not considered professional degrees, despite strong objections from a broad range of nursing and healthcare organizations. The American Nurses Association (ANA), along with WSNA and several other ANA state affiliates, opposed the rule, as did the AFT, WSNA’s national labor partner.
The definition of “professional degree programs” is limited to medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, chiropractic, law, theology, and clinical psychology.
Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the ANA, said in a statement that this rule will affect many communities in getting care.
“This final rule will limit baccalaureate-prepared nurses' ability to pursue advanced degrees, including the Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, the very degrees that produce the advanced practice nurses and educators our country so desperately needs. Make no mistake; this is not a technicality or a footnote. This rule will be felt in real communities, for example, in rural areas where nurse practitioners, midwives, and nurse anesthesiologists are often the only providers of core care services." ”
The final rule’s provisions will be effective in staggered phases, with most beginning on July 1, 2026.