U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in sending a letter this week urging the Department of Education to classify post-baccalaureate nursing degrees as “professional degrees” under its proposed rulemaking.
The March 2 letter to Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent comes in response to the department’s notice of proposed rulemaking implementing student financial aid provisions of a law that explicitly excluded nursing degrees from the “professional degree” definition.
This is the third letter Rep. Kiggans has sent to the Department of Education in response to the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee’s negotiated rulemaking process, a rule that the congresswoman says places nursing students at a significant disadvantage in obtaining the student loans necessary to pursue a nursing degree.
“Every day, our nation’s advanced practice nurses are on the front line of healthcare, which is why it’s disappointing that the RISE Committee has failed to correct its omission of post-baccalaureate nursing degrees from recognition as professional degrees,” said Kiggans, a nurse practitioner.
Under the law, students earning professional degrees may borrow up to $50,000 annually and $200,000 in aggregate, compared to just $20,500 annually and $100,000 aggregate for graduate degree students. A recent survey found that 81% of nursing students said the lower aggregate cap would negatively impact their ability to finance their education.
The letter argues that post-baccalaureate nursing degrees clearly satisfy the existing regulatory definition of a professional degree, which requires a level of skill beyond a bachelor’s degree and professional licensure — criteria that Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates meet through national certification and state licensure.
The 2024 National Nursing Workforce Study found that more than 138,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022, and nearly 40% of current nurses intend to leave by 2029, according to the letter.
“This decision is misguided and undermines efforts to encourage the next generation to pursue careers in nursing,” Kiggans said. “At a time when we face significant nursing shortages, this sends the wrong message to the very workforce we should be supporting.”
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), along with dozens of others.