A federal judge has halted the Department of Education's definition of "professional" programs. In response, the department released a new, temporary list of 29 qualifying programs while litigation continues.

The Department of Education had previously stated it maintained its original definition of "professional" programs, which included 11 specific degrees. The department also advised universities to limit lending to students in programs that were not among those initial 11 professional degrees.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, effective July 1, 2025, allows institutions to determine their own lending limits for the first time. Under the new law, the Grad PLUS program, which previously allowed students to borrow up to the cost of attendance, will be discontinued. The legislation permits institutions to extend lower loans for entire programs and majors but does not provide flexibility to increase limits for individual students.

Students in professional programs can borrow up to $200,000 in their lifetime. Before the court order, students in programs outside the initial 11 professional degrees could borrow up to $20,500 annually. The single-year borrowing cap for professional students is $50,000, while the lifetime borrowing limit for individuals categorized as graduate students is $100,000.

Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy and federal relations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, commented on the situation. "It is a little bit of a lose-lose, because if you have needy students who could really use additional loan eligibility, who are struggling, or perhaps can't enroll in the fall because of the lower loan limit, [and] you choose to stay where you are right now and set that lower loan limit, there may be students that are harmed by that right now," McCarthy said.

Nurse anesthesia programs typically last three years, and students in these programs cannot hold jobs outside of school. A nurse anesthesia program and a physician assistant program at separate universities both report default rates under 1 percent.