House appropriators advanced a bill amendment that would designate graduate nursing programs as professional degrees—potentially expanding student federal loan limits for nurses in advanced training. The change targets a mismatch created when the U.S. Department of Education released regulations that excluded graduate nursing (and other programs) from its professional-degree list. The amendment, added to the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill for the Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments, would allow students to borrow up to $200,000 in federal student loans for qualifying programs. Lawmakers from both parties said the Education Department’s narrower designation risks worsening healthcare workforce shortages. The policy already triggered lawsuits by states and nursing organizations after May litigation and additional complaints from other healthcare training groups. Higher education institutions and students now face another round of compliance uncertainty while Congress and federal courts decide whether the professional-degree definition should be broadened.