Education Department Updates Professional Degree List Again: More Nursing Programs Qualify

The Department of Education has revised its court-ordered list of professional degree programs for the second time in two weeks, clarifying which nursing programs qualify for higher federal student loan limits and fixing an omission that had excluded Ph.D. clinical psychology students.

The July 10, 2026 update to Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-42 makes two changes. Nursing programs coded anywhere within the four-digit CIP families for Registered Nursing (MSN) and Nursing Practice (DNP) now qualify, as long as they award the same credential. And Clinical Psychology (CIP 42.2801) now includes the Ph.D. designation, which the Department says was “inadvertently not included” when the list was first published on June 29.

Why It Matters

Professional degree status determines how much students can borrow. Under the loan limits that took effect July 1, 2026, professional students can borrow up to $50,000 per year and $200,000 total, while graduate students are capped at $20,500 per year and $100,000 total. With Grad PLUS loans eliminated, that classification is the difference between covering the cost of a program with federal loans or turning to private lenders.

The nursing clarification matters because many MSN and DNP programs are coded under six-digit CIP codes other than 51.3801 and 51.3818. Without the fix, students in those programs could have been shut out of professional loan limits on a technicality. The clinical psychology correction restores parity between Ph.D. and Psy.D. students in the same field.

The Full List Of Eligible Programs As Of July 10, 2026

During the court’s stay, these programs are treated as awarding professional degrees, provided they award the degree shown in parentheses:

• Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA)
• Athletic Training/Trainer (MSAT; MAT)
• Audiology/Audiologist (AuD)
• Chiropractic (D.C.; D.C.M.)
• Clinical Child Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other (Psy.D.)
• Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.; Psy.D.)
• Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Dentistry (D.D.S.; D.M.D.)
• Divinity/Ministry (M.Div.)
• Family Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Forensic Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Health/Medical Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Law (L.L.B.; J.D.)
• Medicine (M.D.)
• Nurse Anesthetist (DNAP)
• Nursing Practice (DNP)*
• Occupational Therapy/Therapist (OT; MSOT; OTD)
• Optometry (O.D.)
• Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
• Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
• Physical Therapy/Therapist (PT; DPT)
• Physician Associate/Assistant (MSPA; PA)
• Podiatry (D.P.M.; D.P.; Pod.D.)
• Rabbinical Studies (M.H.L.)
• Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (MSN)*
• School Psychology (Psy.D.)
• Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist (SLP)
• Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)

*Includes any program within the same four-digit CIP code, provided it awards the same credential.

Notably excluded: theology programs outside the M.Div. and M.H.L., most non-clinical psychology fields (including industrial-organizational and educational psychology), and pharmaceutical sciences programs.

How This Connects

This is the latest turn in a fight we’ve been tracking since a federal judge blocked the Department’s narrow professional degree definition on June 24, days before the new loan caps took effect. That ruling forced the Department to expand its list from 11 fields under the RISE Final Rule to 29 CIP codes, restoring higher loan limits for physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, and advanced nursing students.

Remember, these designations are temporary. The Department says it will keep defending its original, narrower definition in court, and the list “may change as litigation in the case proceeds.” The Department is even encouraging schools to consider capping loans for the newly added programs at graduate levels to protect students from mid-program changes if the court order is lifted. Students in affected programs should watch StudentAid.gov/bigupdates for developments.

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