The NPRM draft is published for review and scheduled to be released tomorrow. The open comment period has started and all comments are due 30 days after the rule is published, or February 29th. The final rule is expected by July 1.

The Secretary proposes to amend the regulations for the Federal student loan programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended (the title IV, HEA programs) to implement the statutory changes to the Title IV, HEA programs included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. These changes include establishing new loan limits for graduate students, professional students, and parents, and phasing out the Graduate PLUS Program.

The list of programs classified as professional was not changed from the neg reg committee consensus. Here’s the language from the draft rule: 

"We also propose that a professional degree only includes degrees in the following fields:2 Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.), Law (L.L.B. or J.D.), Medicine (M.D.), Optometry (O.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.), Theology (M.Div., or M.H.L.), and Clinical Psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)"

Share your story and help advocate for your profession, students, and future workforce. Use ACAPT’s Advocacy Center to send your personal message and join our efforts to improve this policy. Click on "Protecting the Physical Therapy Pipeline" and fill out your contact information to send your legislators a personal message.

Use our Advocacy Toolkit to learn about the regulations, shape your talking points, and share on social media. Stay tuned for more resources, including advocacy flyers and a student and parent toolkit.