State Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville)
By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
Managing Editor, Illinois Business Journal
macmeske@ibjonline.com
State Representative Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) recently shared a response via social media regarding the Trump administration’s exclusion of certain post-secondary academic degrees from “professional” classification.
The Trump administration has proposed to narrow the federal definition of a “professional degree,” a move that would exclude programs and significantly restrict graduate students’ access to federal loans. The policy shift has drawn swift criticism from national organizations and raised financial concerns among students who rely heavily on federal aid to complete advanced degrees.
Under current rules, graduate students may borrow up to the full cost of attendance through federal loan programs.
The proposed new framework, unveiled on Nov. 6 by the U.S. Department of Education as part of what President Donald Trump has described as his “one big beautiful bill,” would impose strict annual and lifetime caps.
Graduate students in programs not classified as “professional” would be limited to $20,500 per year and a total of $100,000 in federal loans. By contrast, students enrolled in designated professional degree tracks would qualify for higher borrowing thresholds—up to $50,000 annually and a lifetime limit of $200,000.
The Education Department’s approved list includes programs such as medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology.
Among those notably absent from the list is nursing and teaching, sectors already grappling with workforce shortages.
Industry leaders warn that the revised classification could diminish the pipeline of candidates for these positions by making graduate education less financially accessible, with potential downstream implications for those sectors nationwide.
Here is what Rep. Stuart shared via social media:
“Among the degrees Donald Trump’s administration now says aren’t professional are accountants, architects, audiologists, clinical psychologists, physical therapists, social workers and—perhaps most shocking—teachers and nurses.
“The vast majority of people don’t need me to explain why this is outrageous. Teachers, nurses, and the others so casually discounted and insulted by this travesty are some of the most professional—and most critical—workers in Illinois and the nation. Their everyday contributions to our communities save lives, enrich lives, preserve health and drive our economy in more ways than any of us can list.“This disastrous policy will decrease opportunity, increase the already crushing level of student debt and discourage talented and capable individuals from pursuing careers in critically important and impactful fields–precisely when workers in those fields are in critically short supply in many parts of Illinois and the rest of the nation.
“That’s why I’m not done fighting to shield our communities from the fallout of these troubling times.”
Region: Metro East,Feeds,Business,Metro East,City: St. Louis, MO
via Illinois Business Journal https://ift.tt/hZcJQ8a
December 4, 2025 at 01:08PM
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