Professional degrees reclassified for predominantly female professions

In November, the U.S. Department of Education proposed a definition change that could reshape access to graduate programs in several essential and female-dominated fields. Here’s what to know:

• The department has redefined which graduate programs count as “professional degrees” as an attempt to streamline student borrowing.
• Many women-dominated fields — including nursing, social work, public health, counseling, and education — will likely lose access to higher federal loan limits, pushing students to private loans.
• Student advocates, employers, and professional associations warn that this could make borrowing more expensive, deepen workforce shortages, and disproportionately harm women.
• The rule is moving through the federal review process now with final wording expected in 2026.

Why it Matters

Women make up the vast majority of workers in essential careers like nursing, social work, public health, counseling, and education — sectors already facing serious staffing shortages. Most require graduate education, and many students rely heavily on federal loans to complete clinical or practicum hours that make outside work impossible.

Limiting federal loan access would directly:

• reduce affordability for degrees overwhelmingly pursued by women
• push students toward higher-interest private loans
• discourage entry into fields where demand is growing
• undermine national goals around healthcare preparedness and behavioral health workforce expansion

For these reasons, the impact of this decision will not be gender neutral. Policies that reduce access to graduate training in caregiving and science-related professions effectively limit women’s economic mobility, career options, and long-term earning power.

Background

The proposal would limit the “professional degrees" category primarily to medicine, law, and dentistry. Degrees in nursing, social work, education, public health, and counseling could lose access to higher federal loan caps that many students rely on.

In addition to being heavily female, these professions hold communities together, from emergency rooms to classrooms to social service agencies.

This policy change is directly tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), passed earlier this year. As part of that bill, Graduate PLUS loans, which previously allowed students to borrow up to their total cost of attendance, will be eliminated as of July 1, 2026.

For clarification, graduate and professional students will see new borrowing limits of up to $20,500 per year ($100,000 total) for "graduate studies" and $50,000 a year ($200,000 total) for "professional" programs.

Here's the list of professional programs that would qualify for higher loan limits:

1. Pharmacy (Pharm. D.)
2. Dentistry doctorate (D.D.S. or D.M.S.)
3. Veterinary medicine (D.V.M.)
4. Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)
5. Law (L.L.B. or J.D.)
6. Medicine (M.D.)
7. Optometry (O.D.)
8. Osteopathic medicine (D.O.)
9. Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.)
10. Theology (M.Div., or M.H.L.)
11. Clinical psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)

Broader policy context: Project 2025
All of this activity parallels themes in Project 2025, which calls for reducing federal student-aid spending, scaling back oversight of higher education, and limiting federal support for many of the same fields. Both frameworks emphasize shifting more financial responsibility to individual students and private lenders.

Resources

Inside Higher Ed - Project 2025 Would Radically Overhaul Higher Ed. Here's How
American Nurses Association - Statement from the American Nurses Association on Proposed Federal Loan Policy Changes
Union of Concerned Scientists - Limiting Professional Education Loans Is an Attack on Women, Science, and Healthcare