The ANA and 9 Nursing Groups Sue the DoED Over Nursing’s Professional Degree Exclusion

Eleven of the nation’s most prominent nursing organizations filed a federal lawsuit this week against the U.S. Department of Education, challenging a rule the coalition says will make advanced nursing education harder to afford and further strain a healthcare workforce that is already stretched dangerously thin.

The lawsuit, led by the American Nurses Association and joined by ten partner organizations, targets a final rule that excludes post-baccalaureate nursing degree programs from the federal definition of ‘professional degree’ programs. That designation matters because it determines how much money students can borrow through federal loans. Beginning July 1, 2026, nurses pursuing graduate and advanced practice degrees would face lower borrowing caps, creating new financial barriers at a moment when demand for advanced practice nurses has never been higher.

The nurse-led suit follows a separate coalition of 24 state attorneys general who brought their own challenge to the same rule earlier this month, signaling a coordinated legal push to stop the policy before it takes effect.

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What the Rule Does and Why It Matters

Under the Department of Education’s final rule, degrees classified as ‘professional degrees,’ a category that includes law, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, qualify for higher federal loan borrowing limits than standard graduate programs. The new structure caps lifetime federal borrowing at $200,000 for professional students and $100,000 for graduate students. The Department’s rule excludes nursing from the higher-limit category, despite, according to the plaintiffs, nursing programs meeting the statute’s legal requirements for inclusion.

The practical effect is significant. Nurses pursuing degrees as nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and nursing educators and researchers would have access to less federal loan funding starting this summer, forcing many to seek more expensive private loans, reduce their course loads, delay their education, or abandon advanced degree programs entirely.

‘The Department of Education ignored the voices of nurses and nurse allies who spoke out against this rule throughout their rulemaking process,’ said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association. ‘Increasing barriers to post-baccalaureate nursing education doesn’t just limit opportunities and access to education, it limits patients’ access to timely care from trusted, highly trained practitioners. We are exercising our due process rights to ensure this is corrected.’

Over the past nine months, hundreds of thousands of nurses, healthcare advocates, patients, and allies submitted public comments opposing the proposed rule, one of the largest grassroots mobilizations in nursing’s recent policy history. The American Academy of Nursing reports the Department received 80,793 comments on the proposed regulations. The Department finalized the rule anyway.

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Who Filed the Lawsuit and What They Are Arguing

The eleven organizations filing suit represent virtually every major specialty and practice area in advanced nursing. Alongside the ANA, the plaintiffs include:

• American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, 
• Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, 
• American College of Nurse Midwives, 
• American Holistic Nurses Association,
• Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses,
• Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated,
• Health Ministries Association,
• National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, 
•  National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health,

Together, they argue that the Department of Education’s rule unlawfully excludes nursing programs that meet the statute’s requirements for professional degree designation, and that the exclusion creates unnecessary barriers to advanced education at a time when communities across the country continue to face healthcare workforce shortages and growing demand for care.

The CRNA workforce pipeline is among the most directly affected. ‘This policy will constrict the anesthesia workforce pipeline at a time when patient demand is growing nationwide,’ said Jeff Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. ‘Ultimately reducing access to essential procedures like surgery, childbirth, and cancer screenings, especially in rural and underserved communities where CRNAs are often the primary anesthesia providers. The decision also ignores strong data showing CRNAs and APRNs deliver one of the best returns on investment for federal loans, with high employment rates, strong workforce demand, and low debt-to-income ratios.’

CRNAs administer more than 58 million anesthetics each year across the United States, according to figures cited by the coalition.

The July 1, 2026, effective date gives the plaintiffs limited time to secure relief before the new borrowing limits take effect. The lawsuit seeks to block implementation of the rule while the legal challenge proceeds.

The policy stakes extend well beyond individual nurses’ financial situations. The United States is already projected to face a shortage of more than 78,000 nurse practitioners by 2030, according to federal workforce projections. CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers in many rural hospitals and critical access facilities. Certified nurse midwives provide a growing share of obstetric care in communities where physician availability is declining. Clinical nurse specialists drive evidence-based practice improvements that reduce hospital costs and improve outcomes. Nursing educators train the next generation of the entire nursing workforce.

Each of these roles requires graduate or advanced practice education. Each of those pathways becomes harder to finance under the new rule.

The nursing community’s response to the lawsuit has been immediate. The breadth of the coalition, spanning anesthesia, women’s health, pediatric oncology, faith community nursing, holistic practice, midwifery, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse attorneys, signals that this is not a narrow specialty issue. It is a profession-wide fight over whether nursing is treated with the same respect as the other doctoral and professional degree programs that benefit from higher borrowing limits.

If you are currently enrolled in or planning to pursue an NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS, or other advanced nursing degree program, the July 1 effective date is the immediate pressure point. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the rule from taking effect, but nurses planning their educational financing for the fall 2026 semester should monitor developments closely and build a Plan B that accounts for the possibility of lower federal loan caps.

For nurses who want to support the advocacy effort, the ANA and its coalition partners are the direct contact. Public pressure has already shaped this fight. The hundreds of thousands of comments submitted during the rulemaking process built the foundation for the legal challenge now underway. Staying engaged through professional associations, contacting your federal legislators, and sharing your story about what advanced nursing education has meant for your patients and community remains relevant while the lawsuit proceeds.

The coalition’s message is direct: nursing belongs in the same category as law, medicine, and dentistry when it comes to professional degree recognition. The fight to establish that is now in federal court.

🤔 If this rule takes effect July 1, will it change your plans for an NP, CRNA, CNM, or other advanced practice degree? Tell us in the comments what advanced nursing education has meant for your career and your patients.

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