The Department of Education’s recent decision to declassify nursing as a professional degree program is more than a bureaucratic reshuffling—it’s a dangerous policy shift that threatens to exacerbate America’s already critical nursing shortage. By slashing the federal loan limit from $50,000 to $20,000 annually for graduate-level nursing students, the government has effectively erected a financial barrier that will prevent countless qualified candidates from pursuing advanced nursing degrees. This shortsighted policy undermines decades of progress in nursing education and sends a troubling message about how we value healthcare professionals.
Financial Barriers Will Worsen the Nursing Shortage
The math simply doesn’t add up. Graduate nursing programs typically cost around $30,000 per year, yet the Department of Education now expects students to finance their education with loans capped at $20,000 annually. This $10,000 gap represents an insurmountable obstacle for many prospective nurses, particularly those from middle and lower-income backgrounds. The claim that 95% of nursing students borrow less than $20,000 annually obscures the reality that many students cobble together funding from multiple sources, including private loans with higher interest rates, to cover their educational expenses.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The American Nurses Association projects a need for 1.1 million new nurses by 2030 to address the shortage. Meanwhile, nursing schools turned away over 80,000 qualified applicants in 2022 due to insufficient faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and budget constraints. Rather than addressing these systemic issues, the Department of Education has created yet another barrier to entry.
The False Economy of Forcing Tuition Reductions
The Department’s assertion that capping loans will force universities to lower tuition demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of higher education economics. Nursing programs are among the most expensive degrees to operate due to clinical training requirements, specialized equipment, and the need for experienced faculty who could earn significantly more in clinical practice. The Mayo Clinic School of Nursing, for example, spends approximately $55,000 per student annually while charging tuition of around $30,000—already operating at a loss subsidized by their healthcare system.
When faced with reduced student ability to pay, universities have historically responded not by lowering tuition but by reducing enrollment, cutting programs, or shifting costs elsewhere. Johns Hopkins University has already announced they’re evaluating the viability of certain nursing specialization tracks in light of these changes. The likely outcome isn’t more affordable nursing education but fewer nursing education opportunities overall.
Devaluing Nursing Sends a Devastating Message
Beyond the financial implications, declassifying nursing as a
