A federal judge temporarily blocked parts of the Trump administration’s student-loan restrictions for graduate-level and “professional” degree programs. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued a preliminary injunction that halts new caps set to take effect July 1 for nursing and other professional pathways after trade groups challenged the rule changes. The decision follows related litigation over how the Education Department defines “professional” graduate degrees for higher borrowing limits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Howell ruled the department likely acted inconsistently with Congress’s statutory instructions and violated rulemaking requirements, with the effect that certain education and health fields may regain access to previously permitted borrowing levels. For higher education leaders and student affairs teams, the rulings create short-term uncertainty over program eligibility and aid counseling, just as borrowers also face operational disruptions tied to staffing cuts at Federal Student Aid and errors reported in loan processing.