Hands Off Nursing, Social Work, and Public Health

I am writing as a concerned constituent to strongly oppose the proposed changes to federal student loan classifications that would remove or restrict many female-dominated professions from “professional degree” status for loan purposes. Under the Department of Education’s current proposal, numerous graduate programs in nursing, public health, social work, and other care-based professions would no longer qualify for the higher federal loan limits afforded to professional degree programs. While this change may appear neutral on paper, its real-world impact is anything but. These professions are overwhelmingly staffed by women and are essential to the health, safety, and stability of our communities. By lowering federal borrowing caps for these programs, the government is effectively creating financial barriers that will: • Make graduate education less accessible to women, • Force students into predatory private loans, • Reduce entry into critical frontline professions, and • Further devalue work historically performed by women. Advanced degrees in nursing, public health, and social work are not optional luxuries — they are required for licensure, leadership roles, and safe practice. Restricting access to federal funding means fewer qualified professionals in systems already stretched beyond capacity. This policy reinforces a disturbing pattern: male-dominated professions, such as certain medical and legal pathways, remain fully supported with higher loan limits, while female-dominated fields that provide direct care and essential services are financially sidelined. The result is systemic gender inequity masked behind bureaucratic language. This is not a budget adjustment — it is a structural barrier that disproportionately impacts women, single parents, first-generation students, and those entering service-oriented professions. I urge you to: 1. Publicly oppose any rule that downgrades nursing, public health, social work, or similar programs from professional degree status. 2. Advocate for equitable federal loan access for all essential professions. 3. Demand transparency and gender-impact analysis before any final rule is implemented. Our society depends on the people who heal, support, and stabilize our communities. They deserve equal investment, not quieter forms of exclusion. I ask you to stand firmly against these proposed changes and protect access to education for the women who hold this country together.