Student Loans and Debt Policy

The Education Department’s proposal would exclude nursing — and other fields it does not classify as “professional,” such as public health — from professional loan treatment, and is tied to the summer-enacted “One Big Beautiful” law that ends Grad PLUS for new loans next July and imposes medical school borrowing caps of $50,000 per year and $200,000 total with stricter limits for non‑professional fields. Educators warn the changes could narrow physician and nurse pipelines and reduce socioeconomic diversity among trainees, while supporters including Sen. Bill Cassidy say the caps will curb tuition and protect borrowers; the package also includes an Oct. 30 rule tightening Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility that is being challenged in court.