LINCOLN—The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) today expressed concern with a plan from the U.S. Department of Education that redefines what constitutes a “professional degree.”The NHA warns that the exclusion of “nursing” in the definition limits student access to federal loans and ultimately threatens access to care for Nebraskans.
The change would cap federal loan limits for nursing students at $20,500 per year and $100,000 lifetime. By comparison, students enrolled in the Department’s list of recognized professional degrees, which include pharmacy, theology, law, dentistry, and medicine, will qualify for loan limits up to $50,000 per year and $200,000 lifetime.
“A sufficient, healthy workforce is foundational to maintaining access to high-quality care,” said Jeremy Nordquist, President of the Nebraska Hospital Association. “The decision to omit nursing from the “professional” category directly threatens the state’s ability to educate and sustain the nursing workforce its communities depend on, particularly in rural areas. Devaluing advanced nursing education by limiting financial aid will only widen the gaps in our health care system.”
