As part of implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), the U.S. Department of Education is proposing two postbaccalaureate degree designations—graduate and professional—to set federal loan limits.
- Graduate programs: up to $20,500/year, $100,000 lifetime.
- Professional programs: up to $50,000/year, $200,000 lifetime.
Currently, 11 programs—Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Podiatry, Chiropractic, Theology, and Clinical Psychology—are classified as professional degrees.
Postbaccalaureate nutrition and dietetics programs (for RDNs) and nursing programs (for APRNs) are not included, limiting them to the lower graduate designation. These lower loan limits often fail to cover program costs, forcing students to delay, forgo, or take higher-interest loans for their training.
The U.S. Department of Education is accepting public comments through March 2 before finalizing the rule.
Take Action
You can help ensure equitable access to federal funding for postbaccalaureate nutrition and dietetics and nursing students by submitting a comment to the U.S. Department of Education. Follow these steps:
- Download and personalize the draft letter to the U.S. Department of Education.
Keep the letter under 5,000 words and include 2-3 original sentences to ensure the letter is not dismissed as a form letter.
- Submit your letter at regulations.gov using the Comment button in the top left corner.
You may paste the letter in the comment box and attach a copy of the letter in a docx or PDF format.
- Share this information with your colleagues and encourage them to take action.
Thank you for helping secure adequate student loan funding for future RDN and APRN professionals!