The U.S. Department of Education’s definition of “professional degree” should include post-baccalaureate nursing programs for federal student loan purposes, says U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA).
“As one of only two nurse practitioners in Congress and as someone who has led on nursing issues throughout my entire political career, I find it personally and professionally difficult to understand why the Department of Education is excluding nurses from being able to obtain the student loan funds they need to get an advanced nursing degree,” Rep. Kiggans said on Monday. “There is no reason that nurses should not be treated with the same level of seriousness as other healthcare disciplines, especially when so much of our healthcare system relies on them.”
The congresswoman reiterated her stance in a Nov. 21 letter she sent to the department requesting it to include the degrees in its definition as it finalizes a notice of proposed rulemaking for Public Law 119-21 — also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The rule must also ensure current nursing students retain access to appropriate borrowing, according to her letter.
“Excluding these programs from professional-degree classification would lower the federal borrowing limits available to post-baccalaureate nursing students, reduce access to advanced education, increase out-of-pocket costs for post-baccalaureate nursing students, and create an inequitable financial structure compared to other clinical programs with comparable licensing requirements,” wrote Rep. Kiggans. “These programs prepare students for clinical practice and clearly meet the statutory and regulatory standards of a professional degree.”
In her statement released Monday, Rep. Kiggans also pointed out that a nursing shortage exists nationwide and not enough Americans are going into the field.
“I have heard from countless members of the nursing community who believe that putting up barriers to education will dissuade students from pursuing nursing careers,” she said. “The fact is that advanced nursing degrees are expensive, take years to complete, and require rigorous examinations and continued education for license renewal.”
While the lawmaker said she understands the need to lower the cost of attending college, she added that risking the careers of healthcare workers isn’t the right solution.
“This nursing shortage is real and unless we do something to address it, the strain on our healthcare system could be insurmountable,” said Rep. Kiggans.