NCNA Submits Formal Comment on Proposed Federal Student Loan Caps for Nurses
February 26, 2026
Docket ID ED-2025-OPE-0944
The North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) urges the inclusion of post-baccalaureate nursing degrees explicitly in the list of professional degrees. Patients will suffer if these proposed changes are implemented as planned without nursing degrees.
In less than a decade, North Carolina is projected to have a shortage of 12,000 registered nurses.1 A burnout crisis among bedside nurses combined with an existing shortage of nursing school faculty is putting unprecedented pressure on the current nursing workforce, exacerbating the situation.
North Carolina, like most states, is forced to turn away aspiring nursing students because we simply do not have enough faculty to teach these qualified candidates. The only way to safely increase the number of new nurses is to bring more faculty into the classroom – and that requires a significant increase in post-graduate nursing degrees.
Meanwhile, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are uniquely positioned to address rising healthcare costs and critical access-to-care challenges, particularly in rural and underserved areas, without sacrificing quality. More than half of the states have intentionally modernized regulations to increase the number of APRNs, and this proposal would surely stunt that growth.
Graduate nursing education is a vital component of our evolving healthcare infrastructure. In North Carolina, almost 32,000 registered nurses – nearly 20% of the state’s entire profession – hold an advanced nursing degree, according to the North Carolina Board of Nursing.2
Some supporters of the proposal say it would curb rising tuition costs for nurses; while that is an incredibly important concern, this specific proposal would not impact the baccalaureate programs that are typically the barrier to entry for the profession. This change will also disproportionately affect nurses from lower-income backgrounds and could force nurses to turn toward private loans with repayment terms that could be far more expensive, or even predatory.
The Department of Education’s proposal has garnered an extraordinary amount of pushback from both the nursing and patient populations. Patients understand the value – and professionalism – that nurses bring to the entire healthcare infrastructure. The United States should be doing everything possible to encourage qualified, promising nursing students to advance their careers, but instead, the Department of Education is considering a drastic change in the wrong direction.
With all of this in mind, the NCNA Board of Directors has unanimously voted to oppose a federal proposal to cap student loans for graduate nurses at $100,000 and we formally urge the Department of Education to exempt nursing programs from this cap.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Davis Meadows, MSN, APRN, ACCNS-AG
President, North Carolina Nurses Association
Submitted electronically to www.regulations.gov ›
1The Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy at the Cecil G Sheps Center. “NC Nursecast: A Supply and Demand Model for Nurses in North Carolina.” November 1, 2021. https://ncnursecast.unc.edu/model/
2North Carolina Board of Nursing. “RN/LPN Highest Degree Statistics.” February 4, 2026. https://portal.ncbon.com/LicensureStatistics.aspx?ID=102
MEDIA CONTACT
Chris Cowperthwaite, CAE, APR
Director of Communications & Outreach
(919) 821-4250 or chriscowperthwaite@ncnurses.org.
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As the leading professional organization for North Carolina’s registered nurses, we equip nurses at all stages to thrive in an ever-changing healthcare environment. NCNA helps keep North Carolina nurses on the cutting edge of nursing practice, policy, education, and more. Join us as we work to advance nursing and ensure high-quality healthcare for everyone.
Established in 1902, NCNA provides continuing education, networking and legislative advocacy for registered nurses throughout North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.ncnurses.org.
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The North Carolina Nurses Association serves the changing needs of its members, addresses nursing issues, and advocates for the health and well-being of all people.
