Press Release: 3/3/2026

Healey-Driscoll Administration Calls on Trump Administration to Reverse Graduate Student Loan Limits for Health Care and Social Workers, Educators

 

Proposed changes would increase costs for 13,000 Massachusetts students, exacerbating health care, social work and education workforce shortages 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

3/02/2026

MEDIA CONTACT

Karissa Hand, Press Secretary

 Phone

Call Karissa Hand, Press Secretary at 617-725-4025

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration is calling on the Trump Administration to reverse plans that would sharply limit access to low-cost federal student loans for graduate degrees in high-need, high-value fields including nursing, education and social work.

A proposed U.S. Department of Education rule set to take effect July 1, 2026 would cap federal graduate student loan borrowing at $20,500 per year for programs the Trump Administration does not classify as “professional.” This would impact many fields recognized as essential, including nursing, education, social work and others.

If implemented, the rule would affect approximately 13,000 Massachusetts graduate students each year, forcing many to rely on higher-cost private loans to continue their advanced program studies. Of those impacted, an estimated 4,000 residents could be unable to access private loans due to income or credit limitations, effectively blocking them from advancing their education and careers. The result would be higher student debt and deeper workforce shortages across critical sectors. For example, this rule would severely exacerbate workforce capacity in social services and health care as advanced professions in social work and nursing, like independent clinical social workers andadvanced practice registered nurses (APRN), require master’s level coursework and degrees to become licensed.

“As the daughter of a school nurse, I know firsthand the critical importance of nurses and educators,” said Governor Maura Healey. “It’s insulting, reckless and simply wrong for President Trump to claim they aren’t professionals. This proposal will made graduate school more expensive, push students into riskier private debt, and deepen workforce shortages that directly harm our communities.”  

“We urge the Trump Administration to reverse course on a rule that limits access to graduate education for fields that are crucial to Massachusetts’ economy, health and vibrancy,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “When professionals sign up to contribute valuable services to our communities, we should thank them, not put up barriers.”  

The Healey-Driscoll Administration submitted public comment opposing President Trump’s proposed rule, “Reimagining and Improving Student Education,” citing its disproportionate impact on public-service professions and students attending independent, nonprofit colleges and universities.

“The Trump Administration continues to try and privatize student loans and make higher education more expensive, to the detriment of families, research and innovation and our economy. We want professionals from a variety of backgrounds ascending to leadership roles in our health care institutions, schools, and more, and restricting access to loans limits who gets these opportunities,” said Interim Secretary of Education Amy Kershaw. “We need to support those who are devoting their careers to serving others.”

“Simply put, these changes will hurt our workforce. While Massachusetts is focused on reducing barriers to employment, these federal changes will reduce accessibility for many Massachusetts residents to pursue education and careers, and, in turn, limit the state’s talent pool for in-demand professions while also impacting the availability of skilled workers that residents rely on every day like nurses, educators, and social workers,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones.  

“Graduate degrees are a path to economic upward mobility, and our communities rely on well-educated leaders across a variety of professions,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “The Trump Administration’s limited definition of ‘professional’ will indeed leave us with fewer professionals in fields of great need, while saddling others with more expensive and riskier debt obtained through the private student loan market.”  

“This proposed rule moves us in exactly the wrong direction at exactly the wrong time,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “At a moment when communities across Massachusetts and the nation are struggling with workforce shortages in critical health care fields, we should be opening doors for students who are striving to build on their expertise and serve at a higher level – not throwing new financial barriers into their path. Physician assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, counselors, and public health professionals are essential to our health care system. They deserve investment, respect, and recognition as professionals in every sense of the word.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 included that students pursuing “professional degrees” are eligible to access low-cost federal student loans up to $50,000 per year. However, the Trump Administration’s proposed rule excludes many graduate programs, including those that train nurses, physician assistants, and audiologists. The programs included in the proposed rule account for only two percent of all fields of graduate study.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration is urging the federal government to instead link enhanced loan eligibility to objectively defined high-need and high-value occupational fields, such as nursing, social work, and education and to ensure graduate education remains accessible for all students pursuing careers that generate future earnings sufficient to repay the relevant capital investment. 

Statements of Support

Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland):

“Massachusetts succeeds because we invest in education, not restrict it. This proposed rule would limit access to affordable federal loans for graduate students in essential fields like healthcare, education, and social work, forcing thousands to take on costly private debt or abandon their goals altogether. I stand with the Healey-Driscoll Administration in opposing this harmful proposal and will continue fighting to protect opportunity for our students.”

House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy):

“This reckless proposal hurts working families and makes it harder to become a nurse, a teacher, or a social worker.Capping federal graduate loans at this level forces students into high-interest private loans, or discourages them from pursuing advanced degrees altogether. At a time when we’re facing serious workforce shortages in health care and education, creating new barriers to graduate education is exactly the wrong move. We should be expanding opportunity and strengthening our workforce, not making it harder for people to serve their communities.”

Representative Dave Rogers (D-Cambridge), House Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education:

“It’s concerning that teachers, nurses, and social workers, widely recognized as essential workers and the backbone of communities, are not seen as ‘professional’ graduate degrees by the Trump Administration. The new graduate loan limits risk widening the gaps in the education and health care workforce by decreasing affordability and access to these programs.”

Chrissy Lynch, President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO:

"The Trump administration continues to degrade the dignity of the workers by devaluing essential, frontline professions like education, nursing, and social work. It is no coincidence that the workers in professions targeted by this rule change are predominately women, especially women of color, and many are represented by labor unions. Limiting access to "professional" status federal student loan resources limits our investment in an economy that truly supports and elevates working people. Our Commonwealth must use every available resource to ensure students can pursue higher education in the high-demand jobs our employers need filled and the family-sustaining careers our residents deserve."

Katie Murphy, RN, President, Massachusetts Nurses Association:

“The administration’s policy will slow and shrink our ability to educate the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals, reduce the pipeline of desperately needed nurse educators, and deepen the shortage of advanced practice clinicians across Massachusetts. It punishes current nurses seeking to advance their skills, burdens them with greater private-loan debt, and jeopardizes access to high-quality, community-based care, especially in rural and underserved areas that rely heavily on APRNs and other healthcare professionals.”

Jessica Tang, President, American Federation of Teachers:

“We are talking about the educators who teach our children, the nurses who care for the sick, and the social workers who provide support. We are professionals. The reclassification of these occupations has real consequences and harmful impacts including access to licensure and student loans. The federal government should be lifting up how the contributions of these workers strengthen our communities and drawing more young people to these fields. Instead, they're devaluing their work, forcing many of them to take on extra debt to get an education. By pushing these critical jobs further out of reach, we risk extreme workforce shortages that would upend our ability to educate our students and provide care across the healthcare spectrum, some of our most basic human rights. We stand with Healey Administration in their opposition to the undervaluing of critical professions.”

Max Page, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association:

“Graduate students pursuing degrees in professions that serve our communities deserve both respect and financial support from the federal government. Forcing future teachers, nurses, and social workers into high-cost private loans to pay for their education is an outrage that the federal government must abandon. Instead, we should move toward debt-free higher education so every student can pursue their calling, including careers in public service. The federal administration’s misguided proposal will have far-reaching effects as it becomes harder to staff the schools, health centers and social services that families in every community in every state rely on.”

Dave Foley, President, SEIU 509:

“This is yet another political move that signals just how little the Trump administration appears to care about social services and the families who rely on them. Access to higher education is already out of reach for far too many communities. Devaluing social work and creating more barriers to education will make it even harder for students to pursue degrees and will only exacerbate an existing workforce crisis, ultimately leading to fewer trained professionals and less access to services for people who need them most.”

Rebekah Gewirtz, MPA, MSW(c), Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers:

“Under the proposed federal rule, graduate students who are not enrolled in 'professional degree' programs can only borrow up to $20,500 annually. These changes make a Master's or a Doctor of Social Work degree unattainable through federal loans, forcing students to take out loans with predatory private companies or not complete the degree at all. Massachusetts already has a shortage of licensed social workers needed to meet the mental health needs of our residents. Without a doubt, this rule will lead to an even greater shortage into the future, impacting residents across the lifespan. We stand unequivocally with Governor Healey in calling for the proposed changes to be rejected."

Rob McCarron, President, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM):

“Our graduate degree programs are crucial talent pipelines for the Commonwealth in areas critical to the state's innovation economy and workforce, including healthcare, behavioral health and education. The Trump administration's exceedingly narrow definition of what constitutes a professional degree program conflicts with statutory authority and will wrongfully limit access to these programs by a staggering 56 percent. These graduates are not only professionals in every sense of the word, but they are also the backbone of our healthcare- and education-centered economy. These proposed changes will have a terrible impact on our Massachusetts workforce, where there is already a dire need for qualified professionals.”

Dr. Linda Thompson, Chair, Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents and President, Westfield State University: 

“Restricting access to federal student loans will make it more difficult for individuals to advance their careers in education, healthcare, and other high-need fields. This is a step backward that undermines progress in addressing workforce shortages across the Commonwealth. Our state universities play a vital role in expanding opportunity and preparing the professionals our communities depend on. Imposing new obstacles to graduate education ultimately undermines our region’s health, resilience, and economic growth.”

Thomas M. Graf, Executive Director, Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA):

“For more than 40 years, MEFA has helped families and students plan and pay for higher education, and the federal cap on graduate loans represents an unprecedented shift in the financial aid landscape. The federal government has been uniquely positioned to provide taxpayer-backed graduate loans for students earning professional degrees. Now, graduate schools and students face tremendous uncertainty, and across the nation, they are turning to state-based loan programs for help. MEFA remains steadfastly committed to providing expanded access to the financing that students in professional and advanced programs need to finish their education and move confidently into their careers.”

Bahar Akman Imboden, Managing Director, Hildreth Institute: 

“At a time when we should be expanding opportunities for students, the Administration is instead limiting pathways in a way that not only harms students, but our economy as a whole. The Administration's narrow definition for ‘professional degrees’ will leave Massachusetts and the country without essential teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, and more.”