A coalition of organizations representing health and education professionals filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (ED) for issuing a rule that limits access to federal student loans for students pursuing degrees in nursing, counseling, public health, education, and other fields. The rule narrows the definition of a “professional” degree, which ED has no authority to redefine, and runs contrary to the definition already adopted by Congress last year.
Nursing, counseling, public health, and education are some of the many programs excluded from ED’s professional-degree status, despite meeting the definition already set by Congress. The department’s Direct Loan Program is the single largest source of federal financial assistance for postsecondary education. Reduced access to these loans means a higher burden of debt on students and fewer people pursuing careers in these critical professions.
Plaintiffs include the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and the National Education Association (NEA). These organizations and their members are among those that will suffer harm from the rule.
This unjustified change harms students who rely on government loans to help make their dreams accessible and communities who will experience reduced access to vital health and educational services. Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the rule unlawful and set it aside.
Timeline
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Complaint was filed
