Attorney General Ford Leads Coalition in Opposing Federal Rule That Would Limit Student Loan Access for Healthcare Workers

Carson City, NV - Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that he, along with Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown led a coalition of 24 attorneys general and two governors in submitting a comment letter opposing a proposed rule under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) by the United States Department of Education (Department) that would cap federal student loans for graduate students in nursing, physician assistance, and other health fields - a change that could worsen healthcare shortages across the country.

H.R. 1 limits the amount of federal student loans available to graduate students to $20,500 per year and $100,000 in total. Students pursuing "professional" degrees, however, may borrow up to $50,000 annually and $200,000 overall. Congress defined a "professional degree" broadly as one that signifies completion of the academic requirements to begin practicing in a profession and reflects a level of skill beyond that required for a bachelor's degree. While Congress provided ten examples, including medical and law degrees, it made clear that professional degrees are not limited to those examples.

"This proposed rule ignores both the letter and the spirit of the law. Congress made clear that 'professional degree' was meant to be expansive, not frozen in time, yet this approach would narrow access in ways that hurt states like Nevada," said Attorney General Ford. "We are already facing serious healthcare workforce shortages, especially in our rural and underserved communities, and making it harder for aspiring nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other essential providers to complete their education will only deepen those gaps in care. I will continue fighting to protect educational access and ensure students have a fair opportunity to pursue the training our communities urgently need."

The proposed rule under H.R. 1 would narrow that definition by treating Congress's ten examples, along with Clinical Psychology, as an exclusive list. Under this approach, only students pursuing those specific degrees would qualify for the higher loan limits. As Attorney General Ford and the coalition explain, this would exclude aspiring nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists, and other essential professionals who support states' health systems and economies. For programs that exceed the $20,500 annual cap, students would be forced to rely on higher-cost private loans or forgo advanced education altogether.

Attorney General Ford and the coalition argue the proposed rule violates federal law. The Department violated Congress's clear intent by turning an illustrative list of degrees into a hard limit, leaving out nurses, physician assistants, and other essential health professionals who depend on these loans to access and complete their education. Notably, the list of examples was originally devised in the 1950s, long before graduate programs in nursing, physician assistance, and physical therapy became common. By freezing that list in place, the Department has ignored decades of change in health professions and excluded health professionals who clearly fall within Congress's definition.

Nevada and other states are already facing healthcare workforce shortages - and this rule would make things worse. Preventing students from borrowing the amounts needed to pay for programs such as nursing, physician assistance, and physical therapy will result in a reduced supply of expert healthcare workers. It will reduce access to programs like the University of Nevada, Reno Orvis School of Nursing's top-ranked MS in Nursing program and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's PhD in Nursing program, which prepares nurse scientists that generate original research on Nevada-specific health issues.

The letter urges the Department to abandon its narrow definition of "professional degree" and devise a broader one that encompasses the full spectrum of degrees intended by Congress.

Joining Attorney General Ford in submitting the comments are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the governors of Kansas and Kentucky.

###