Education Department Raises Nursing Loan Caps to $50,000 After Judge Blocks $20,500 Limit
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 30
Education Department Raises Nursing Loan Caps to $50,000 After Judge Blocks $20,500 Limit
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 30
Summary
$50,000 a year in federal loans is now available to nursing students and some other graduate programs after the Education Department moved them into the higher-cap professional category.
Judge Beryl Howell last week said the department likely overstepped by narrowly defining which programs counted as professional, and warned plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm if the lower limits took effect July 1.
The shift also covers certain advanced degrees in physical therapy and anesthesiology, while the department published dozens of programs split between the two borrowing categories.
The underlying caps remain $50,000 annually and $200,000 total for professional programs versus $20,500 and $100,000 for others, and the department said it will keep defending its criteria, leaving more litigation likely.