New loan rule from Trump administration leaves key degrees off ‘professional’ list

A federal policy overhaul tied to President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is poised to reshape how graduate students finance their education. 

As Newsweek reports, the U.S. Department of Education is adopting a new framework that limits how much students can borrow based on whether their degree qualifies as “professional.” The shift could significantly reduce available aid for students in several widely recognized fields.

Under the upcoming Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP, current programs such as Grad PLUS will be eliminated, and Parent PLUS loans will be restricted. 

RAP sets borrowing ceilings of $20,500 a year for most graduate students and $50,000 annually for those enrolled in programs the government defines as professional. That classification could put many students at risk of losing crucial financial support.

The timing raises additional concern because college prices have continued to climb. According to Newsweek’s reporting, public university costs alone have surged roughly 30% in the last ten years, and some institutions planned tuition increases again this academic year.

What has drawn the most attention is the list of programs the administration has chosen not to recognize as professional. Citing reporting from Inside Higher Ed, Newsweek notes that nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, and audiology are among the health-care fields excluded. 

Other omitted occupations include architecture, accounting, education, and social work. Engineering, business master’s programs, counseling, therapy, and speech-language pathology have also been identified as non-professional under the new rules.

These changes are scheduled to take effect in July 2026; advocates warn that the exclusions could discourage students from pursuing careers desperately needed across the country.