Federal Student Loan cap Sparks Concern Over Nursing Workforce
PHILADELPHIA – A recent change in the federal definition of “professional degrees” could limit nursing students’ access to federal loans and exacerbate the ongoing nursing shortage, according to university of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel. The Department of Education‘s new criteria, excluding graduate nursing programs from the list of professional degrees eligible for higher loan limits, has drawn criticism from nursing leaders nationwide.
The change impacts the amount of federal student loan funding available to those pursuing advanced nursing degrees, perhaps deterring enrollment. According to Villarruel, individual philanthropic efforts – such as the $125 million gift from 1954 wharton graduate Leonard Lauder in 2022 intended to prepare nurse practitioners for primary care in underserved communities – are insufficient to address the growing need. ”Additional private and public investments in nursing are needed to meet the growing demand of our population,” she stated.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) released a statement on November 7 condemning the Education Department’s new definition,arguing it “disregards decades of progress towards parity” across healthcare fields and hinders efforts to strengthen the nation’s nursing workforce.
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing professor Olga Yakusheva warned the cap will limit access to graduate programs and ultimately reduce the number of nurses available, particularly in communities already facing physician shortages. “It’s going to limit the ability of nurses to apply for graduate school, and on the back end, it will limit the number of nurses available in primary care settings and in hospitals,” yakusheva told CBS News.
The Education Department countered in a November 24 press release, stating that “95% of nursing students borrow below the annual loan limit and therefore are not affected by the new caps.” The department also emphasized the cap is intended to encourage nursing programs to reduce costs and minimize student debt, clarifying the change “is not a value judgment about the importance of programs” and that undergraduate students are generally unaffected.
Despite the department’s assurances, Villarruel maintains the policy will have broad negative consequences. “It is not nursing that loses hear – it is our entire country,” she wrote.
