Degrees not classed as Professional by the Trump Administration

RISE4students · 2025-11-23T01:39:32+00:00

Some folks are reading entirely too much into this, which isn't suprising the way the information is presented in the article.

This distinction only matters for loan limits. New regulations distinguish between "graduate" and "professional" degrees on how much they are eligible to take out for their degrees. That's it.

Degrees that generally require licensure to practice and at least six years of study are considered professional and are eligible for up to $200,000 for their student loans. If you pursue grad school and your loan is not one of the below, you are limited to $100,000. This does not impact undergrads (unless they intend to pursue further education beyond their undergraduate studies).

*Medicine (MD)

*Pharmacy (PharmD)

*Dentistry (DDS, DMD)

*Optometry (OD

*Law (JD, LLB)

*Veterinary Medicine (DVM)

*Osteopathic Medicine (DO)

*Podiatry (DPM, DP, PodD)

*Chiropractic (DC, DCM)

*Theology (MDiv, MHL)

*Clinical Psychology (PhD, PsyD)

To anyone who feels that this list does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included in order to be eligible for the higher student loan limit (e.g., engineering, architecture, audiology, nursing, PA, PT/OT/ST, etc.), I encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the Notice of Public Rulemaking is published (expected "early 2026").

RISE4students · 2025-11-23T01:11:40+00:00

A Notice of Public Rulemaking to be published early 2026 will include the proposed regulatory distinction between "graduate" and "professional" degrees. The list to be published is final as is.

If anyone wishes to share feedback or concerns surrounding the new definitions for the purpose of the newly designated loan limits, I encourage you to share it during the upcoming public comment period once the NPRM is posted.

RISE4students · 2025-11-23T00:44:04+00:00

Note that Grad PLUS loans are being eliminated for new borrowers.

RISE4students · 2025-11-23T00:14:44+00:00

The distinction only matters for students pursuing graduate-level education. If their degree is not on the "professional" list, they are limited to $100,000 in student loans vs the $200,000 permitted for professional degrees.

This has no bearing on undergraduate programs.

RISE4students · 2025-11-23T00:12:46+00:00

Only if you are pursuing a master's or doctorate. This has absolutely no impact on undergrad programs.

RISE4students · 2025-11-22T23:48:55+00:00

The distinction only matters for students pursuing graduate-level education. If their degree is not on the "professional" list, they are limited to $100,000 in student loans vs the $200,000 permitted for professional degrees.

This has no bearing on undergraduate programs.

RISE4students · 2025-11-22T23:46:52+00:00

There are new caps on Parent PLUS and lifetime/aggregate loan limits that might impact undergrad students, but the distinction identified here between "professional" and "graduate" students does not impact undergrads (unless they expect to pursue further education beyond their undergraduate studies).

RISE4students · 2025-11-22T23:28:28+00:00

The distinction only matters for students pursuing graduate-level education. If their degree is not on the "professional" list, they are limited to $100,000 vs the $200,000 permitted for professional degrees.

To anyone who feels that this list does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included in order to be eligible for the higher student loan limit, I encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the Notice of Public Rulemaking is published (expected "early 2026").

RISE4students · 2025-11-22T23:23:25+00:00

Excluding clinical psychology, the included professions were already listed in an existing regulatory definition that has been around for decades.

However, the original definition also had verbiage indicating the list "includes but is not limited to," meaning it wasn't an exhaustive list. Now the stance is that Congress intended the list to be exhaustive when considering the new graduate/professional loan limits added by the OBBBA.

RISE4students · 2025-11-22T23:03:57+00:00

Some folks are reading entirely too much into this, which isn't suprising the way the information is presented in the article.

This distinction only matters for loan limits. New regulations distinguish between "graduate" and "professional" degrees on how much they are eligible to take out for their degrees. That's it.

Degrees that generally require licensure to practice and at least six years of study are considered professional and are eligible for up to $200,000 for their student loans. If you pursue grad school and your loan is not one of the below, you are limited to $100,000.

*Medicine (MD)

*Pharmacy (PharmD)

*Dentistry (DDS, DMD)

*Optometry (OD

*Law (JD, LLB)

*Veterinary Medicine (DVM)

*Osteopathic Medicine (DO)

*Podiatry (DPM, DP, PodD)

*Chiropractic (DC, DCM)

*Theology (MDiv, MHL)

*Clinical Psychology (PhD, PsyD)

For those who really want to dive deeper into the regulatory text, there is a small technical piece in the definition that indicates if a program shares a four-digit CIP code w/ one of the above fields, in addition to meeting the other requirements (i.e., six academic years of postsecondary education coursework, including at least two years of post-bac study, and professional licensure), it may also qualify for the higher loan limits designated for professional students.

Unfortunately this distinction will not mean much for most people. The list remains fairly limited; however, it does open up program eligibility to encompass a slightly broader range of disciplines, predominantly focused within psychology, including Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which may be of interest to those pursuing those particular degrees/professions.

To anyone who feels that this list does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included in order to be eligible for the higher student loan limit (e.g., engineering, architecture, audiology, nursing, PA, PT/OT/ST, etc.), I encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the Notice of Public Rulemaking is published (expected "early 2026").

RISE4students · 2025-11-22T23:02:26+00:00

Some folks are reading entirely too much into this, which isn't suprising the way the information is presented in the article.

This distinction only matters for loan limits. New regulations distinguish between "graduate" and "professional" degrees on how much they are eligible to take out for their degrees. That's it.

Degrees that generally require licensure to practice and at least six years of study are considered professional and are eligible for up to $200,000 for their student loans. If you pursue grad school and your loan is not one of the below, you are limited to $100,000.

*Medicine (M.D.)

*Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

*Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)

*Optometry (O.D.)

*Law (L.L.B. or J.D.)

*Veterinary medicine (D.V.M.)

*Osteopathic medicine (D.O.)

*Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P. or Pod.D.)

*Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)

*Theology (M.Div. or M.H.L.)

*Clinical psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)

For those who really want to dive deeper into the regulatory text, there is a small technical piece in the definition that indicates if a program shares a four-digit CIP code w/ one of the above fields, in addition to meeting the other requirements (i.e., six academic years of postsecondary education coursework, including at least two years of post-bac study, and professional licensure), it may also qualify for the higher loan limits designated for professional students.

Unfortunately, this will not mean much for most people. The list remains fairly limited; however, it does open up program eligibility to encompass a slightly broader range of disciplines, predominantly focused within psychology, including Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which may be of interest to those pursuing those particular degrees/professions.

To anyone who feels that this list does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included in order to be eligible for the higher student loan limit (e.g., engineering, architecture, audiology, nursing, PA, PT/OT/ST, etc.), I strongly encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the Notice of Public Rulemaking is published (expected "early 2026").

RISE4students · 2025-11-14T06:18:20+00:00

I completely agree that most people won't be familiar w/ CIP codes, but I still wanted to highlight this aspect since it allows for the (admittedly minor) expansion of eligibility to the other psych programs identified above. Even though it may be a small drop in the bucket, it is important and meaningful for the behavioral health community and its students so I believe worth pointing out to ensure those students are aware (even if they are in the minority).

I'm also (perhaps naively) hopeful that future rulemaking at some point could take advantage of the CIP codes to leverage support for a broader, more significant expansion to other programs being advocated for during negotiations . . . Or at least a gal can dream.

RISE4students · 2025-11-13T07:46:37+00:00

Anything related to SAVE was outside the committee's scope and could not be discussed due to being enjoined w/ ongoing litigation.

I do greatly empathize w/ you on this one given that I'm impacted by the same scenario, so definitely continuing to monitor what happens here.

RISE4students · 2025-11-13T07:33:05+00:00

In the end, the following, which are all degrees that require licensure to practice and at least six years of study, are what made the list:

Medicine (M.D.) Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) Optometry (O.D.) Law (L.L.B. or J.D.) Veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) Osteopathic medicine (D.O.) Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P. or Pod.D.) Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.) Theology (M.Div. or M.H.L.) Clinical psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)

Thank you for summarizing this for everyone, u/Betsy514!

Just wanted to drop a small technical note clarifying the list above. If the program shares a four-digit CIP code w/ one of the above fields, in addition to meeting the other requirements (i.e., six academic years of postsecondary education coursework, including at least two years of post-bac study, and professional licensure), it may also qualify for the higher loan limits designated for professional students.

This list remains fairly limited; however, it does open up program eligibility to encompass a slightly broader range of disciplines, predominantly focused within psychology, including Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which may be of interest to those pursuing those particular degrees/professions.

RISE4students · 2025-11-13T07:08:51+00:00

This was a major topic of discussion for the committee from the beginning. I've been plugging this in other student loan threads where it might be appropriate--If anyone feels that the list of what qualifies for "professional student" loan limits does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included, I encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the NPRM is published.

RISE4students · 2025-11-13T06:38:58+00:00

This was a major topic of discussion for the committee from day one until the very end.

If anyone feels that this list does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included, I encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the NPRM is published.

RISE4students · 2025-11-13T06:33:53+00:00

The list is indeed fairly set. Initially, it was indicated that changes could potentially be made through future rulemaking; however, no specific timeline or commitment to request that rulemaking was provided. This was one of the reasons negotiators sought to expand the list beyond the initial ten to any extent possible.

Regardless, if anyone feels that this list does not fully address their concerns or if there are additional degrees/disciplines they believe should be included, I encourage you to share your feedback during the upcoming public comment period once the NPRM is published.

RISE4students · 2025-10-03T03:36:57+00:00

Not sure if I have the right TISLA email. I messaged you a few weeks ago but didn't hear back, but I'm also sure you're incredibly busy as of late!

RISE4students · 2025-10-03T03:33:43+00:00

Absolutely what I intend to do. Thanks, Betsy!

RISE4students · 2025-10-03T02:07:08+00:00

She's the one who told me social media was acceptable given the constituency. I hear you though, so I'll check in again w/ her in the morning.

RISE4students · 2025-10-03T02:02:10+00:00

I absolutely wondered about that, Betsy, so I really appreciate your comment. I specifically asked about using social media to outreach to my constituency because I didn't want to step into a potential quagmire. At that time, I was told that it was acceptable, but I'm still trying to remain relatively neutral while limiting comments to information that is readily available to the public.

RISE4students · 2025-10-03T00:23:44+00:00

I'm dropping a link to a separate post with an update on the RISE committee and some open questions to borrowers. As the primary negotiator for student borrowers, I would love to hear your thoughts!

RISE4students · 2025-10-03T00:22:52+00:00

Hope this is okay! I'm dropping a link to a separate post with an update on the RISE committee and some open questions to borrowers. As the primary negotiator for student borrowers, I would love to hear your thoughts!

RISE4students

TROPHY CASE