Did you foresee architecture, engineering, nursing, and education losing ‘professional’ status?

Wow—this was really unexpected. The U.S. government has announced that it will no longer classify a wide range of graduate programs as “professional degrees” for federal financial aid purposes. The list of affected fields is far broader than many anticipated.

Degrees no longer considered “professional”:

These programs—many of which require licensure, advanced study, or years of specialized training—will lose access to higher federal loan limits:

• Nursing (MSN, DNP, DNSc, PhD).

• Architecture, Engineering & Technology (MArch, DArch, MLA, MTech, MEng, DEng, DTech, DSc, PhD, etc.)

• Education (MEd, DEd, PhD).

• Social Work (MSW, DSW, PhD).

• Allied-health, including physical therapy, audiology, physician assistant, and more (DPT, DAud, MSPA, DHSc)

• Public Health (MPH, DrPH, PhD).

• Business, counseling/therapy degrees (MBA, MAcc, MS, DBA, PhD, etc.).

Degrees still recognized as “professional”:

A much smaller group of programs will continue to qualify for the higher loan caps:

• Theology (MDiv, MTh, DTh, PhD)

• Medicine (MD, DO, MBBS)

• Dentistry (DDS, DDM)

• Pharmacy (PharmD)

• Optometry (OD)

• Veterinary Medicine (DVM)

• Podiatry (DP)

• Chiropractic (DC)

• Law (JD, LLB)

• Clinical Psychology (PsychD, PhD)

What does this change actually mean?

Beginning July 1, 2026, federal financial aid limits will shift dramatically.

Students in the fields newly reclassified as non-professional will see their annual financial aid capped at $20,000 per year. Meanwhile, students in the remaining “professional” programs—such as medicine, law, or theology—will still be eligible for up to $50,000 per year, though total aid is capped at $200,000 overall.

That lifetime limit is still well below what many medical students typically need for four years of basic training, which makes the changes all the more surprising.

Reaction so far

The announcement has caught many professional communities off guard. Organizations such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) have voiced strong concern about the implications for students entering their fields.