02/24/2026
I pulled out the section on Professional Degrees from Your Local Epidemiologist 2/24/2026 post. Deadline is March 2, 2026. This MATTERS for degrees in public health, nursing, social work, physician assistant programs and engineers. Yes, that is right, engineers are also included. Please submit a comment this week.
Students in public health, nursing, social work, and physician assistant programs (and many other essential fields) are at risk of losing access to adequate federal student aid under a new rule proposed by the Department of Education. You can help by sharing your story before a public comment deadline on March 2.
What’s happening? Last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill set a new limit on federal student loans for graduate students, capping per-student lending at $100,00—unless you’re a student in a “professional degree program.” Professional students are eligible for up to $200,000 in federal loans.
But what counts as a professional degree? In November, the Department of Education agreed on a draft definition that included just 11 programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, theology, and clinical psychology.
Several essential fields—public health, nursing, social work, physician assistant programs, engineering, and others—were removed from that list.
What this means for students: If this stands, students in these programs could lose access to federal financial aid. Specifically, lower borrowing limits that won’t cover students’ real costs, fewer scholarship pathways, and limited eligibility for loan-repayment programs.
What this means for public health: It will make it harder to enter these careers at a time when our country needs more of these professionals. The broader consequences are significant: fewer trained professionals, more barriers for students from low-income backgrounds, and added strain on already stretched health and social systems.
What you can do: Submit a public comment supporting an expanded definition of professional programs. Take note: The Department of Education’s 30-day public comment period ends March 2!
Link: https://www.regulations.gov/document/ED-2025-OPE-0944-0001
There are instructions at that link, but here are some more tips:
Your personal experience is important—use it!
Introduce yourself and your connection to the issue. For example, “I am a public health professional who relies on federal loan repayment to serve rural communities.”
Be specific about impact. Explain how this change would have affected you; how it would affect your patients, clients, or community; or what happens to workforce pipelines if access shrinks.
Connect it to other shared priorities in your community. This change will likely exacerbate existing health care workforce shortages, rural health gaps, maternal health access challenges, and mental health crises.
Explain unintended consequences. Students whose loan needs exceed the program cap will rely on higher-cost private loans, and fewer graduates may choose lower-paying service roles that currently qualify them for loan forgiveness programs.
2. Keep it simple and kind.
Be concise. This doesn’t have to be a heavy lift! A few clear paragraphs are enough. Short and focused comments are more likely to be read and cited (and easier to write).
Stay professional. Calm, clear, evidence-based comments carry more weight. So avoid attacks, sarcasm, or partisan framing.
3. We’re stronger when we act together.
Encourage institutional submissions if you’re a part of a university, hospital, or public health department. This carries weight.
Encourage others to share their story. The number of individual comments, with personal details, plays an important role in shaping final decisions.
