American Nurses Association Endorses Legislation to Ensure Adequate Loan Access for Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Bipartisan Bill Correcting the Department of Education’s Rule is Critical to Country’s Healthcare Infrastructure
SILVER SPRING, MD – The American Nurses Association (ANA) announces its strong support and endorsement of bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced by Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA), David Joyce (R-OH), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Don Bacon (R-NE) in the US House of Representatives and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in the US Senate, that would add post-baccalaureate nursing programs to the federal definition of “professional degree.”
The Nursing is a Professional Degree Act (H.R. 8691/S. 4568) would reverse the Department of Education’s (ED) decision to exclude post-baccalaureate nursing from the professional degree category and affirm access to adequate federal loans for nurses pursuing advanced education.
The practical effect of ED’s rule is severe and immediate: nursing students pursuing Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing degrees will face significantly lower federal borrowing limits, creating new and unnecessary barriers to advanced nursing education at a time when the country faces a worsening shortage of healthcare providers and nurse faculty.
“I want to thank our champions in Congress for their leadership and commitment to the nursing profession,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association. “This is not a bureaucratic technicality. This rule, if implemented, will have a direct and devastating impact on healthcare across our country. ANA fully endorses the Nursing is a Professional Degree Act and urges every member of Congress to support its swift passage. Every day of delay creates uncertainty for nursing students and the academic programs that train them.”
ANA encourages all nurses and their advocates to ask their members of Congress to pass this bill before the rule is in effect on July 1, 2026. Visit RNaction.org to learn more and take action.