Proposed Federal change Could Limit Nursing Student Loan Access
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) โฃ- A proposal under consideration by the federal government couldโข reclassify nursing โฃdegrees, perhaps impacting the amount of financial aid availableโค to students pursuing advanced nursing โeducation. The change,if implemented,would categorize nursing as โคa non-professional degreeโค for student loan purposes.
Currently, graduate nursing students have access to standard federal loan limits for professional degree programs. The proposed reclassification would cap annual borrowing at $20,500, with a lifetime limit of $100,000.This has raisedโข concerns among healthcare โคprofessionals who fear โit could exacerbate existing nursing shortages.
Carol Samsel, a representative from National โคNurses United, expressed strong โคopposition to the proposal. “The nurse practitioners, the certified nurseโฃ anesthetists, or those with a master’s degree – most of them finance or โฃborrow โa importent portionโค of their education with the expectation of repayment after graduation,” Samsel stated. she characterized the potential reclassification asโฃ detrimental to the nursing โprofession.
Samsel highlighted theโฃ potential impact on rural kansas communities, where โขnurse practitioners often serve as primary healthcare providers. “Many rural communities in Kansas rely heavilyโ on nurse โpractitioners forโ healthcare services,as access to physicians can be limited,” โขshe explained.
sophie Nguyen,โ a nursingโข student at Wichitaโข State University, voiced concerns about โthe economic implications for students, particularly those from lower-income families. “Restricting the amount of money students can borrow will โdisproportionately affect those with fewer financial resources,” Nguyen said.
Despite these concerns, Nguyen emphasized the โdedication required to enter the healthcare field. “Becoming a nurse, or pursuing any healthcare profession,โข requires a โฃspecialโฃ commitment. I don’t believe changes to labels or loan classifications will diminish the passion of those drawn to this work,” she added.
The proposed changesโค are scheduled to take โeffect on July โฃ1, 2026, pending final approval. The Department of Education โคplans toโข publish the proposal โin theโ Federal register, โฃinitiating a โฃperiod forโค public comment. The timing of the public comment period โขand a final โคdecisionโ on the proposal have notโ yet been announced.
Copyright 2025 KWCH.All rights reserved. To report a โcorrection or typo, please email news@kwch.com
