Priorities
Federal policymakers and agencies continue to focus on issues that directly affect DPT programs and students, including:
- Graduate student loan eligibility and affordability
- Cost of attendance considerations, including living expenses
- Workforce pipeline challenges across healthcare professions
- Regulatory and classification decisions impacting professional graduate programs
ACAPT continues to engage with federal legislators and congressional staff to advocate on behalf of academic physical therapy and the future healthcare workforce. Through ongoing meetings and dialogue, we are building and strengthening key relationships on Capitol Hill to ensure policymakers understand the structure, rigor, and public health impact of Doctor of Physical Therapy education.
Establishing and maintaining these relationships is essential to effective advocacy. By serving as a trusted resource and providing timely data, program perspectives, and student experiences, ACAPT helps inform federal decisions that affect student loan policy, workforce development, and patient access to care. These sustained efforts position academic physical therapy to be represented thoughtfully and proactively as federal policy evolves.
Recent Updates
DPT Degree Considered 'Professional' for Student Loans After Judge's Ruling
Students pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree will be eligible to take out higher federal student loan amounts for now. This is due to the court order last week which blocked part of a Trump administration rule that held them to lower limits. ED’s announcement explicitly states that these interim designations “may change as litigation proceeds.” In the same notice, the Department recommends that institutions consider capping loan disbursements at graduate-level amounts for programs temporarily classified as professional, specifically to protect students from disruption if the stay is later reversed or narrowed.
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks RISE Ruling on Professional Designations
Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary relief blocking implementation of the U.S. Department of Education’s new regulatory definition of “professional degree” while litigation challenging the rule proceeds. The ruling comes six days before the rule was scheduled to take effect on July 1.
Under the student loan caps, students pursuing “professional” degrees can borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 total. Those in “graduate” programs can borrow up to $20,500 annually, and $100,000 total. Doctor of Physical Therapy programs were considered "graduate" in the statutory language. Howell's ruling pauses the department's definition of "professional" while the rest of the case is decided, and will still allow higher borrowing caps to take effect on July 1, using preexisting definitions that would include advanced healthcare programs in the caps.
“Congress did not direct the Department to evaluate and update the regulatory definition already in [law] with any new eligibility criteria, let alone five material changes to the statutorily adopted regulatory definition,” Howell wrote. “In fact, Congress did the opposite. By adopting the preexisting definition as it was in effect on a specific date, Congress removed any discretionary authority the Department may have had to narrow the definition for the purpose of determining federal loan caps.”
She also said there was a contradiction between the department’s belief that Congress didn’t instruct it to consider “adverse effects on staffing in healthcare and education, diversity in the workforce, rural and underserved communities, and working families,” and its belief that it could make these changes to Congress’s definition.
For months, ACAPT—alongside several partner organizations—has been actively engaging on Capitol Hill to address the far-reaching impacts federal policy proposals could have on physical therapy programs, the healthcare workforce, and the students preparing to enter the profession. We are grateful for the support of our coalition partners in the Advanced Professionals Workforce Alliance (APWA), whose leadership and collaboration have helped drive these efforts forward.
Advocacy In Action Student Toolkit
ACAPT and the Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation (APTQI) are proud to launch Advocacy in Action: Building Your Voice in Physical Therapy, a new three-part video series designed specifically for students at every stage of their journey
From understanding what advocacy really means to taking action in your clinical experiences and ultimately shaping the future of the profession, this series meets you where you are and helps you grow your impact.
Current Congressional Bills Addressing Professional Designation
ACAPT proudly endorses H.R. 6677, the Professional Degree Access Restoration Act, introduced by Ritchie Torres and H.R. 6718, the Professional Student Degree Act, introduced by Mike Lawler. These bills address federal student loan policy and professional degree designation for health professions education and represent important steps toward ensuring that federal student aid policy reflects the realities of professional healthcare education and supports the future physical therapy workforce.
Advanced Professional Workforce Alliance (APWA) in the news
ACAPT is proud to be part of a powerful national coalition, including APTA, AIA, AOTA, and other leading organizations, working together to address key federal health care issues.
Through this collaboration, ACAPT is helping build a unified voice on Capitol Hill and strengthen relationships with policymakers. We’re energized to represent academic physical therapy and ensure the perspectives of DPT programs and institutions are heard where it matters most.
Resources
Advocacy Toolkit
APWA One-pager April 2026 (1)
Student Toolkit (created by APTQI & ACAPT)