"Under ED's latest proposal, in order for a degree program to count as "professional" and gain access to the highest amount of federal loans it must: Signify that students have the skills to begin practice in a particular profession Require a level of skill beyond that of a bachelor's degree Be a doctoral level degree (with the exception of a Masters in Divinity) "
"By comparison, Holt's proposal-which had appeared to gain support from all committee members except the department-only required a program to meet the first two criteria, include at least 80 credit hours and be in the same two-digit identification code. These looser requirements, particularly when it came to credit hours and identification codes, opened the door to higher loan caps for a number of high-demand health care careers"
The Department of Education released a proposal to determine which post-baccalaureate degree programs receive specific federal loan amounts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Under Secretary Nicholas Kent presented a plan that slightly expands eligibility beyond an initial list of ten degrees but remains less inclusive than Alex Holt’s alternative. The proposal defines professional programs by six criteria: demonstrable practice-ready skills, skill beyond a bachelor’s degree, doctoral status (with a Masters in Divinity exception), at least six years of instruction with two post-baccalaureate years, licensure requirements, and inclusion in a specified four-digit program code tied to eleven professions. Holt’s alternative required only the first two criteria, at least 80 credit hours, and broader two-digit coding, which would have extended higher loan caps to many high-demand health-care careers. Committee consensus is uncertain; absent agreement, the department may issue its own proposal.
#federal-student-loans #post-baccalaureate-program-eligibility #regulatory-criteria #healthcare-workforce
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