Recently, the U.S. Department of Education (under the Trump administration) announced a new rule about which college degrees count as “professional degrees.” This may sound like a small thing — like changing a label — but it actually affects how much money students can borrow for school, and who can afford certain careers in the future. Let’s break it down.
What is a “professional degree,” anyway?
A professional degree is usually an advanced degree you need in order to work in a very specialized job — like a doctor, a dentist, or a lawyer.
These degrees often take more years of schooling and cost a lot more money, so the government normally lets students in these programs borrow more federal loan money.
What the new rule changes
The new rule says only a small list of degrees now count as “professional.” Students in these programs can borrow up to $200,000 from federal loans.
Degrees that STILL count as “professional”:
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Pharmacy
- Optometry
- Veterinary medicine
- Law
- Clinical psychology
- Theology
- Chiropractic
- Osteopathic medicine
- Podiatry
That’s it.
Degrees that no longer count as “professional”
These degrees are now left off the list, which means students in these programs may not be able to borrow enough money to finish school:
- Nursing
- Physician assistant programs
- Physical therapy
- Social work
- Teaching and education
- Counseling and therapy
- Speech pathology
- Architecture
- Accounting
- Engineering
- Business
Many of these jobs serve the public and require a lot of training — but under the new rules, they won’t get the same financial support.
Why this matters
This change affects real people in real ways. Here’s how:
1. Students may not be able to afford school. Some of these programs cost tens of thousands of dollars. Without enough federal loan support, students may have to take expensive private loans or decide not to pursue the degree at all.
2. It could make existing worker shortages even worse. We already need more nurses, teachers, therapists, and social workers. Making their degrees harder to afford could mean fewer people enter these fields.
3. It may hurt fields mostly made up of women. Many of the degrees removed from the list — like nursing, social work, and teaching — are dominated by women. Some experts say this could unfairly impact women more than men.
4. It shows what the government values (and what it doesn’t). By keeping doctors and lawyers on the list but removing nurses and teachers, the government is saying, “These careers deserve more help than those.” But the careers they’re removing are often the ones that care for our communities the most.
So… why would the government do this?
Some experts think it’s about money. If fewer degrees count as “professional,” then the government has to give out fewer large loans. Others believe the definition is too narrow and doesn’t reflect the reality of today’s workforce — especially how important nursing and education are.
What this means for the future
If this rule stays in place, we might see:
- Fewer nurses and therapists
- Fewer teachers
- Fewer people going into public service jobs
- More students taking on risky private loans
- Big inequalities in who can afford certain careers
Basically, the change could reshape who gets to become a nurse, a teacher, a counselor, or an architect — and who doesn’t.
What people can do
When rules change how much school costs, it changes what kind of future people can have. Here are ways adults can respond:
- Speak up by calling lawmakers.
- Support organizations fighting for fair access to education.
- Pay attention to what policies like this really mean for everyday people.
