Protect Graduate Nursing Education Now

The AAHFN Advocacy Committee stands with the American Nurses Association in sounding the alarm on the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This legislation threatens to terminate federal Direct Grad PLUS loans and cap Parent PLUS loans - a move that will put advanced nursing education out of reach for many.

Under the bill:

Most graduate nursing programs (MSN, DNP, PhD) are reclassified as “non‑professional.”
Federal loans would be limited to $20,500 per year and $100,000 total - far below actual program costs.
Parent borrowers lose vital flexibility with new caps ($20,000/year, $65,000 lifetime per child).

Why does this hurt nursing and healthcare:

Makes graduate nursing education less accessible, forcing nurses into high‑interest private loans.
Shrinks the pipeline of nurse practitioners, educators, and researchers - worsening shortages across care settings.
Reduces access to primary and acute care, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Threatens all specialty areas like heart failure and cardiovascular nursing, where nurses are already scarce.

The result:

Fewer nurses, more burnout, poorer patient outcomes.

Join us in urging Congress to protect access to graduate nursing education and the future nursing workforce.

Sign the petition: https://ana.quorum.us/campaign/professionaldegreepetition/