Trump leaving nursing off professional degrees list an ‘insult,’ New Mexico union says

The Trump administration will no longer consider nursing a professional degree, limiting the amount of federal loans students can borrow. New Mexico health and education officials worry the move could hurt morale and affect the state’s nursing workforce.

President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” places a cap on federal student loans of $20,500 per year, with a lifetime limit of $100,000 for graduate students, and $50,000 per year with a lifetime limit of $200,000 for “professional” students.

Professional degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s definition, include medical, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, chiropractic, law, optometry, podiatry and theology credentials — which means graduate nursing students can only borrow half the student loans as medical students.

“Classifying nursing as anything less than a professional field is an insult to our workforce and a threat to public health in the Land of Enchantment,” said Yolanda Avila Ulmer, president of District 1199NM, the New Mexico hospital workers’ union.

The changes begin on July 1 and would affect students working toward graduate nursing degrees, which students need to become nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and other advanced practice clinicians.

Of New Mexico’s 33 counties, 12 fell short of the national benchmark for certified nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives last year, according to a report from the state’s Health Care Workforce Committee this fall. The shortages are most significant in largely rural areas of the state.

The Trump administration’s decision not to include nursing in its list of professional degrees is “unacceptable, short-sighted and dangerous for our state,” Avila Ulmer said.

“Removing this status means making nursing education harder to access, more expensive, and less attainable,” she said. “This policy undermines local recruitment, damages the morale of our compassionate New Mexico nurses, and weakens the very workforce that keeps our communities healthy.”

The federal government placed loan caps on graduate degrees with the intention of driving down the cost of graduate programs and reducing student debt, according to a federal Education Department statement last month.

Federal Education Department authorities say the limits will push graduate nursing programs to lower their tuition costs, “ensuring that nurses will not be saddled with unmanageable student loan debt.”

New Mexico’s higher education officials “fundamentally disagree” with the federal government’s decision, said state Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez.

“This change creates significant financial barriers for students pursuing advanced education in high-need professions — including nursing, physical therapy, education and social work — at a time when New Mexico is already facing workforce shortages,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

The state of New Mexico has various scholarship opportunities for health care students, including the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program, which offers loan forgiveness for medicine, nursing, dentistry and mental health workers who commit to working for three years in a designated medical shortage area.

But the program — which will repay a total of up to $75,000 — needs expanding, especially on the heels of changes at the federal level, said Kristina Fisher, associate director of nonprofit think tank Think New Mexico.

“It was already important, but now it’s an even higher priority,” Fisher said. “Colorado is doing more. Texas is doing more. Arizona is doing more. That makes it pretty important for us to be competitive.”