Feds to cap many grad student loans next July
The Trump administration’s Education Department plans to impose new federal student‑loan caps next July that treat only certain degrees as 'professional' programs, limiting many other graduate students — including in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, architecture and education — to $20,500 per year ($100,000 total). Professional programs (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law and others) could borrow up to $50,000 per year ($200,000 total). Health groups warn the change could worsen nursing shortages and push students to pricier private loans, while the department says most programs’ costs fall under the new caps and current students will be grandfathered.
Education
Health
📌 Key Facts
- Definition shift: Professional programs limited to a specific list (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, theology); excluded fields include nursing, PT/OT, social work, dental hygiene, architecture and education.
- Loan caps: $50,000/year and $200,000 total for 'professional'; $20,500/year and $100,000 total for other graduate programs.
- Timing: New caps slated to take effect next July; students already enrolled will retain current limits.
- Dept. rationale: Caps intended to pressure high‑tuition programs to lower prices; cites data that 95% of nursing students are in programs under the $100,000 total.
- Opposition: Nursing and healthcare groups argue caps will exacerbate workforce shortages and shift borrowers to costlier private loans.