Yesterday the Department of Education issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) addressing changes to the Higher Education Act (HEA) included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, following the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) negotiated rulemaking committee reaching consensus on the package of proposed regulations in November.

The proposed regulation sets new student loan caps for graduate students, with a higher cap for those pursuing a professional degree. Graduate students would be limited to $20,500 in student loans per year (an up to $100,000 aggregate cap), while professional students would be limited to $50,000 in federal student loans per year (an up to $200,000 lifetime cap). The regulation narrows the programs that qualify as professional degrees, meaning students pursuing an array of advanced degrees in high-demand professions—such as allied health, nursing, and public health—would not be able to borrow as much as those in unaffected fields. The regulations would also eliminate the Grad PLUS program and multiple loan repayment options, limit Parent PLUS, and introduces streamlined repayment options for borrowers.

Since this issue arose, ASAHP has joined other organizations in outreach to the Department of Education (here, here, and here), urging that health professions programs qualify for the professional degree caps and expressing concern that a new, narrow definition of what constitutes a professional degree will deepen the health workforce shortage by creating uncertainty and limiting access to vital support for students entering critical health fields.

Public comment on the proposed regulations is now open through March 2. The Department of Education press release is here. The NPRM is here. Coverage from Inside Higher Ed is here.