Backlash and confusion have swirled after the Department of Education under President Donald Trump left nursing and other professions off a list of "professional" degrees in a proposed rule over loans, which could impact how students finance their education in the future.
The news involves a loose list of graduate-level career paths that could qualify for bigger federal student loans. This list of "professional" programs has a newfound importance as the administration winds down a program that allowed careers off the list to qualify for larger loans.
Leaving nursing off the list has been perceived by some as a slight against a vital field. Besides nurses, other degree programs not explicitly included on the select list of "professional" degrees could see lower loan caps than before.
Just about 20% of the nation's nursing workforce has a master's- or doctorate-level degree, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Who is considered a professional student? The list includes programs like pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine and law, among others. The list may not be all-inclusive, but advocates and professional organizations sounded the alarm that it leaves off many important programs.
