House Panel Advances Measure to Raise Federal Loan Limits for Nursing Degrees

A Republican-led House Appropriations Committee advanced an amendment last week that would raise federal student loan limits for master’s and doctoral nursing degrees above the $100,000 cap scheduled to take effect July 1. The amendment forms part of a broader budget bill that also expands funding for nurse training and biomedical research. It passed the committee by a 34-to-28 vote.

Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4 last year. The legislation set lifetime federal borrowing limits of $100,000 for graduate degrees and $200,000 for professional degrees. Those limits replace previously unlimited federal Grad PLUS loans for advanced degrees.

The Education Department has described the caps as commonsense measures intended to encourage universities to reduce costs.

Nursing associations and lawmakers have warned that the caps could push students toward private loans with higher interest rates. 2 percent. Federal projections show the registered nurse shortage continuing until 2038, with the supply of licensed practical nurses reaching only 70 percent of projected need by then.

A bipartisan group of more than 150 members of Congress signed a letter in March urging the Education Department to classify advanced nursing degrees as professional degrees, which carry a $200,000 limit. Five Republican representatives sponsored a separate bill in December that would add nursing and several other healthcare fields to the professional-degree category.