Federal Judge Blocks Education Department’s Narrow Professional Degree Rule
A federal judge has blocked key parts of the Education Department’s narrowed definition of “professional degree,” temporarily halting a rule that could have pushed many graduate students into lower federal student loan limits.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that challengers were likely to succeed in arguing that the department exceeded its authority when it added new restrictions to the definition Congress had incorporated into law. The order pauses the narrower agency definition while the case continues, but it does not stop the new statutory loan caps themselves.
The stakes are practical. Under the new structure, professional students can borrow up to $50,000 per year and $200,000 in total federal loans, while other graduate students are limited to $20,500 per year and $100,000 total.
The Education Department’s rule had limited the higher “professional” category to 11 fields, including medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and clinical psychology. Critics said that excluded programs such as advanced nursing, physician assistant education, public health, physical therapy and speech-language pathology, despite those fields often requiring graduate education, licensure and clinical training.
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The ruling drew immediate praise from professional groups. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners said the court granted preliminary relief in its challenge to the rule, while the American Academy of Physician Associates publicly called the decision a victory for students, the profession and patients.
The Education Department has said it is reviewing the order and will take appropriate action. That leaves schools and students watching for the next step: possible guidance, appeal activity, or further court action before the loan-limit changes take full effect.
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