The American Council on Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) serves as the voice for academic physical therapy on federal policy issues affecting Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs, student success, and the future of the physical therapy workforce.
ACAPT continues to invest in a strong, coordinated federal advocacy strategy to ensure that physical therapy education and the future PT workforce are well-represented in Washington.
Our advocacy center serves as the central hub, providing our members and those in the profession with the ability to take action, find relevant legislation, and become more involved in the advocacy process.
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 is building our strategy and relationships to be ready to mobilize when decisive actions are made. We will share more information as it becomes available.
Through our partnership with our lobbyist agency, ACAPT has drafted a letter to the Department of Education to establish our advocacy priorities and introduce our organization. Alongside the introduction letter, a brief one-pager outlining our organization will be distributed.
Current Congressional Bills Addressing Professional Designation
H.R. 6718 - Professional Student Degree Act
Introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on December 15, 2025, this bill Proposes to amend the Higher Education Act to clearly define “professional degree” programs, specifically including health professions such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, social work, and others as qualifying for higher federal loan limits. This bill is referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
H.R. 6862
Introduced by Rep. Harder, D-CA, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to delay, until July 1, 2030, the termination of authority to award certain Federal Direct PLUS loans and the implementation of limits on certain loans for graduate and professional students enrolled at institutions with certain public health designations, and for other purposes.
H.R. 6739 (Rep. Dingell, D-MI), H.R. 6574 (Rep. Kennedy, D-NY), and H.R. 6677 (Rep. Torres, D-NY)
Offer alternative proposals addressing aspects of loan limits and program classification tied to OBBBA’s student aid reform context.
Timeline
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) - Published on January 29, 2026
Public comment period - March 1, 2026
Final rule - By July 1, 2026
Loan cap change takes effect - July 1, 2026
Resources
Advocacy Toolkit