Texas Nurse Practitioners is deeply disappointed by the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to exclude graduate nursing programs from its definition of a “professional degree.” This change will have a chilling effect on the nursing work force pipeline, making it harder for Texas patients to get the care they need—especially in rural and underserved communities.
Beginning July 1, 2026, graduate nursing students will face significantly lower federal loan limits than other health profession students: an annual cap of $20,500 and a lifetime cap of $100,000, compared to $50,000 annually and $200,000 total for other professional degrees. These limits fall short of the real cost of graduate nursing education and create a clear disadvantage for nurses seeking to advance their training.
For Texas, this is not just about student loans—it is about patient access to care.
Our state is already facing a projected shortage of more than 56,000 nurses by 2036 and more than 16,000 primary care providers. Graduate prepared nurse practitioners are on the front lines of meeting these needs, providing high-quality, cost-effective care in communities across Texas. But nurse practitioners—and the faculty who train future nurses—must first complete graduate education.
When financial barriers prevent nurses from pursuing advanced degrees, the impact is felt across the entire system: fewer primary care providers, fewer nursing faculty, and fewer new nurses entering the workforce. That means longer wait times, reduced access to care, and greater strain on Texas families and communities.
Texas has made strong, bipartisan investments to address these challenges. Programs like the Nursing Shortage Reduction Program and legislation such as SB 25 (88 R) reflect a clear commitment to expanding the nursing workforce and strengthening access to care. This federal policy moves in the opposite direction by placing new obstacles in front of the very professionals Texas is working to grow.
Texas nurse practitioners support common-sense policies that put patients first and strengthen the healthcare workforce. This decision undermines those goals by creating unnecessary barriers to educating the providers our communities depend on. We urge federal leaders to reconsider and align this policy with the realities of Texas’ workforce needs and Texas patients.
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