Beyond New Hampshire

This article reflects NHNPA’s July 2026 advocacy review.

This year, a federal regulatory decision threatened to make advanced nursing education significantly more expensive for nurse practitioner students. Here is what happened and where the issue stood when NHNPA prepared this update.

The push to recognize nursing as a professional degree

When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, H.R. 1, was signed into law in July 2025, it created new federal student-loan limits with a critical divide: professional-degree students could borrow significantly more than graduate students—$50,000 per year compared with $20,500.

The U.S. Department of Education’s rulemaking process then excluded nursing—including MSN and DNP programs—from the professional-degree definition. This was despite the Department’s acknowledgment that nursing met the operative definition provided by Congress.

The practical effect would have been real: lower annual loan limits for nurse practitioner students at a time when advanced nursing education is already costly and workforce demand continues to grow.

What NHNPA members did

AANP called on members to act, and NHNPA amplified that call. Members submitted public comments during the formal comment period urging the Department to reverse course.

When the final rule issued on April 30 still excluded nursing, AANP filed suit in AANP v. McMahon. A federal court issued an order, and in late June 2026 the Department issued interim guidance temporarily recognizing eligible nursing programs—including MSN, DNP, and DNAP programs—as professional degrees for federal loan purposes while the litigation continued.

Where things stood

The outcome was not permanent yet, but eligible nurse practitioner students could access the higher loan limits under the interim guidance. AANP continued to pursue judicial and legislative solutions, including bipartisan legislation known as the Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act.

Thank you to every NHNPA member who submitted a comment or raised their voice alongside AANP and nursing advocates across the country. This is what collective advocacy looks like.

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Next in the series: Part 4 looks at the issues expected to shape NHNPA’s preparation for 2027.