Department of Education Issues Final Rule on Graduate and Professional Student Loan Limits

Earlier this year the Academy joined the Advanced Professional Workforce Alliance (APWA). APWA is a national coalition of primarily healthcare education and professional organizations working to protect access to federal student aid and strengthen the healthcare workforce. The Academy's participation in APWA reflects our ongoing commitment to advocacy on behalf of our member institutions, students, and the broader profession.

As part of this collaboration, the Academy joined fellow coalition members in a sign-on letter responding to the U.S. Department of Education's then proposed rulemaking under the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee. The letter raised concerns about proposed changes to federal student loan eligibility that could significantly impact graduate-level and licensure-based healthcare education programs, including those in nutrition and dietetics.

On May 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education issued a final rule implementing student loan borrowing changes. Effective July 1, 2026, the final rule ends most new Graduate PLUS borrowing, establishes fixed annual and lifetime loan limits in place of cost of attendance financing, and revises repayment and rehabilitation rules.

The rule also preserves a limited definition of "professional student," meaning only students in designated professional degree programs, which exclude nutrition and dietetics, qualify for higher loan limits.

These changes will significantly impact future federal loan eligibility for students in nutrition and dietetics programs and may have implications for student financing and program affordability. A streamlined review of this final rule is also available.

In light of these changes, the Academy will continue to work collaboratively with coalition partners to ensure that federal policy supports access to high-quality education and the development of a qualified healthcare workforce, including exploring all viable options to rectify and address the impact of the Department of Education's RISE rule.