Tell the Department of Education to Designate Nursing as a "Professional" Degree

A new federal proposal would cap student loans for nursing students at $100,000. NCNA strongly believes this change would harm patients while exacerbating the nursing shortage.

The Department of Education has launched a Public Comment period, which will run through March 2. Click here to submit your comment, tell your story, and help convince federal officials to reconsider.

Submit A Comment ›

A few talking points to consider using:

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 – this trend is already harming patients and decreasing access to quality care.
In less than a decade, North Carolina is projected to have a shortage of 12,000 registered nurses.
In North Carolina, nearly 23% of all registered nurses hold an advanced degree of some sort, according to the North Carolina Board of Nursing
- There are dozens of advanced practice nursing professions, which are held by hundreds of thousands of nurses in the United States, that will be impacted by this decision.
For nurses who want to advance into these careers, making it harder to access the funding that is required to pursue these degrees will mean that they will not seek this education, making the crisis our healthcare system already faces exponentially worse.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the cost of attendance for nurses pursuing graduate degrees on average is over $30,000 per year, which easily exceeds the proposed annual cap of $20,500 per year.
- The National Academy of Medicine recently stated that “support for education and training needs in the nursing profession, including the pursuit of higher degrees, is widely recognized as among the highest priorities for our nation’s health system.”
Nursing is a profession! It plays a critical role in our nation’s healthcare system, and nurses should have equal access to the federal loans that other, included professions have access to.

Submit A Comment ›

Some best practices to consider:

Click the official link › shared by NCNA

Look for a button that says “Submit a Public Comment”
Make sure to submit your comment before the March 2 deadline—comments only count if they’re submitted on time

Start With Who You Are
Begin your comment by briefly introducing yourself:

Your role (nurse, APRN, student, educator, etc.)
Where you practice or live in North Carolina
How long you’ve worked in healthcare (optional)

State Your Position Clearly
In one sentence, say where you stand:

Explain why you oppose the $100,000 cap on student loans for nurses

Share Your Real-World Experience
This is the most important part. Focus on:

How the regulation will affect your practice, patients, or community
Barriers, delays, costs, or access issues you’ve seen firsthand
One or two specific examples (no jargon needed)

Explain the Impact
Briefly connect the regulation to:

Patient safety
Access to care
Workforce shortages
Burnout rates for nursing
Efficiency or cost of care
Health equity