US Education Dept adds nursing to professional loan list

The U.S. Department of Education has issued a temporary rule expanding the list of graduate degrees eligible for higher federal student loan limits, a move that follows a federal court order last week. The change, effective Wednesday, July 1, adds nearly 20 degrees, primarily in healthcare fields like nursing and physical therapy, to the "professional" category while removing others, including most theology studies.

The revised rule stems from a lawsuit filed by eight professional groups challenging a Trump administration policy that had limited higher borrowing caps to students in only about a dozen specific programs. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington, D.C., blocked part of that rule last week, calling the department's definition a "misguided interpretation" that strayed from a longstanding definition created by Congress.

Under the new caps established by a student loan overhaul passed last year, programs designated as professional degrees have an aggregate federal loan limit of $200,000. All other graduate programs are capped at $100,000. Previously, graduate students could borrow up to the full cost of attendance for their degree. Administration officials have...