Nursing degrees finally get federal loan parity with medicine and law
H.R. 8659 — Nursing is a Professional Degree Act · Filed by Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced May 4, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Higher Education Act to formally recognize nursing degrees (Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Ph.D. in Nursing) as professional degrees for purposes of federal student loan programs. Currently, nursing is not listed as a professional degree under federal regulations, which affects loan repayment options and income-driven repayment eligibility for nursing students. The bill adds nursing to an explicit statutory list of professional degrees alongside medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, and other licensed professions.
Why we flagged it
The bill corrects a regulatory classification gap by elevating nursing degrees to statutory parity with other licensed professions in federal student loan programs. It is a targeted fix to align loan policy with professional reality, not a broad deregulation or subsidy.
What the text implies
- Nursing students may become eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment plans designed for high-debt professional borrowers, potentially reducing lifetime loan costs for nurses in public-sector roles.
- The bill's catch-all clause ('any other degree that meets the requirements...as determined by the Secretary') delegates future professional-degree classification to the Department of Education, creating ongoing regulatory flexibility without requiring further legislation.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
nursing students and graduates (reduced loan repayment burden); nursing education institutions (potential enrollment increase)