Trump is changing student-loan eligibility for professional degrees. Here's what you need to know.

"That's led to criticism from groups that are not included in the department's narrower degree definition. The crux of the issue is new borrowing limits. Trump's "big beautiful" spending legislation that he signed into law in July included new borrowing caps on professional and graduate student loans, aiming to curb excessive borrowing: $20,500 a year for graduate students or $100,000 over a lifetime, and $50,000 a year for professional students or $200,000 over a lifetime."

"Some advocates said the department's professional degree definition could strain student-loan borrowing access to those in the healthcare profession seeking post-graduate training, like nurses, although the changes won't affect undergraduate borrowing. "At a time when healthcare in our country faces a historic nurse shortage and rising demands, limiting nurses' access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care," Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, said in a statement."

New federal limits set graduate loans at $20,500 per year and $100,000 lifetime, and professional loans at $50,000 per year and $200,000 lifetime. The Department of Education reclassified which programs qualify as professional degrees, narrowing the list to ten programs including dentistry, medicine, and law. Advocates warn that the narrower definition and lower caps could restrict borrowing access for healthcare professionals seeking postgraduate training, such as nurses. The changes do not affect undergraduate borrowing. The department said the definitions only determine eligibility for higher loan limits and are not a value judgment about program importance.

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