Proposed Federal Loan Limits Threaten Advanced Nursing Education and the Burn Care Workforce

On January 30, the Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education issued the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for public inspection to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act student loan limits for post-baccalaureate degrees. The rule is now in a   30-day comment period, which closes on Monday, March 2. This is a critical opportunity to influence a rule that could directly affect the burn care workforce.

✅ Comments must be submitted by Monday, March 2. This is a critical opportunity to influence a policy that could affect the future of the burn care workforce. Review the full ABA position statement and submit comments here .

In November 2025, the American Burn Association (ABA) alerted members to a policy development with implications for the burn care workforce. ABA is once again raising urgent concerns about a U.S. Department of Education rule that would limit federal student loans for advanced health care programs. In the proposed rule, nursing is no longer classified as a “professional degree.”

In 2020, the American Nurses Association (ANA) formally recognized burn nursing as a nursing specialty, approved its scope of practice, and acknowledged its standards of practice.

If the rule is finalized as written, students seeking advanced nursing degrees would face significantly lower borrowing limits, making it harder to finance graduate education. Because the Department does not identify nursing as a “professional degree,” nursing students in master’s and doctoral programs would be eligible only for significantly lower annual ($20,500 vs. $50,000) and aggregate lifetime ($100,000 vs. $200,000) federal loan limits.

ABA’s mission is to improve the lives of everyone affected by burn injury. Burn nurses fulfill that mission by providing high-quality care to burn patients. Classifying nursing as a professional degree would allow broad access to education and training and help raise the standard of patient care. ABA urges the burn care community to submit comments on the proposed rule before the Monday, March 2, deadline.