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��������and 56 national nursing organizations recently urged the U.S. Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education Committee to explicitly  post-baccalaureate nursing programs in the regulatory definition of “professional degree programs” when creating rules to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In a statement released last week, ��������CEO Claire Zangerle, DNP, RN, noted, “This request is critical because the designation would allow post-baccalaureate nursing students to qualify for higher federal loan amounts than under the current ‘graduate degree’ category.” She added many advance-degree seeking nursing students carry signification debt. Such a change in the regulation "is critical to building a stronger health care workforce and preparing the next generation of nurses to meet the nation’s needs,” said Zangerle. The Department of Education is expected to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the coming weeks, providing stakeholders additional opportunities to submit comments. ��������is closely monitoring this process and will update members as developments occur. (AONL news release, 11/21/25)