Nursing students gain equal federal loan benefits as doctors and lawyers
H.R. 8691 — Nursing is a Professional Degree Act · Filed by Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA) · 22 cosponsors · Introduced May 7, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal student loan law to explicitly recognize nursing degrees (Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and related credentials) as 'professional degrees' for purposes of federal student aid eligibility and repayment programs. Currently, nursing is not listed in the federal definition, leaving graduate nursing students potentially ineligible for certain loan benefits available to law, medical, and pharmacy students.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to amend the federal definition of 'professional degree' to include nursing credentials, thereby extending existing federal student loan and repayment benefits to nursing graduate students on the same basis as law, medicine, and pharmacy students.
What the text implies
- Nursing graduates become eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment plans (PAYE, REPAYE, IBR) if they meet other statutory criteria, potentially reducing lifetime loan repayment obligations for nurses in public service.
- The bill's clause (mm) — 'Any other degree that meets the requirements of subclause (I), as determined by the Secretary' — delegates to the Department of Education the power to recognize additional professional degrees beyond those listed, creating an open-ended expansion mechanism.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
graduate nursing students (reduced effective cost of education); nursing education institutions (potential enrollment increase)