AUSTIN, Texas — Changes could impact graduate students seeking advanced degrees in nursing and other fields after the Trump administration proposed modifications to federal student loan access.

The U.S. Department of Education announced it will exclude nursing as a "professional degree" as part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Students will be capped at $20,500 annually with a lifetime limit of $100,000.

The news has led to outrage and confusion over what impacts graduate students will face.

Texas Nurses Association CEO Dr. Serena Bumpus said while nursing hasn't fallen under a "professional degree" since the term was established in the 1960s, nursing isn't what it used to be.

"There weren't a lot of opportunities for nurses to go back to school at the graduate level and receive a gr

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