New Changes to Professional College Degrees and How They Affect Student Loans

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday began, WNY families and students received some huge news for the future of college education. Starting next year, in July 2026, some degrees will no longer be designated as “professional degrees”. 

The U.S. Department of Education made the announcement, and many people have been wondering how this will affect their future under the specific degrees this news affects. People looking to become architects, nurses, accountants, and more. This news also affects student loans, which is an aspect of college planning that we specialize in and will look to guide you through handling this new change. 

In this blog, we will break down the news story, explain the new change, and how it affects your college degree, along with your student loans.

What Does This News Mean for Students?

The U.S. The Department of Education recently announced a new change to how professional degrees for certain academics will be categorized. The biggest note from this announcement is that the “professional” status of terminal architecture degree programs will be eliminated as of July 2026.

The architecture degree programs were the main focal point of this news, but that wasn’t the only profession that would be affected. The announcement also includes other degrees that will be delisted, such as nursing, physician assistants, physical therapists, audiologists, accountants, educators, and social workers.

The other big aspect of college education that gets affected by this change is student loan debt… and that’s where Send Your Kids to College comes in! We specialize in helping students and parents learn the best ways to handle college financial aid, and this news will certainly affect that. This will also tie into a new piece of legislation that was passed by the current presidential administration back in July of this year, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

A part of this bill involved placing new limits on federal student loans for graduate degree programs, and now that a degree program like architecture is being hit the hardest amongst the others, that means that the limits will hit them even more. 

Many of these programs are eligible for a $200,000 borrowing limit. This new change will now cap students at $100,000 in federal loans. 

Degree programs based on whether they are classified as professional or nonprofessional will now have new caps in their loans, which means that financial aid cuts will be seen by many students.

The Correlation of Your College Degree to Your Student Loans

Planning for your college education doesn’t only relate to what you budget for your college dorm or your textbooks and class materials. The degree plays an even bigger part in your plan, and now, with this new change, that means that many students might end up reconsidering what they want to go to school for. This affects high school seniors and college students ready to change their major alike.

Degrees, especially graduate degrees, can cost A LOT of money, plain and simple, and as we noted at the beginning, given how much it costs with the cap that students will now be under, it will make it even harder for them to manage. It’s a trade-off between upfront debt and future income that you will earn from taking that degree, and students, and now especially parents, will have to weigh their options before they take the next step. This means starting a College Plan ASAP is even more important for parents.

A major talking point online that students receiving this news have noted is that, because their degrees are now considered “nonprofessional,” this complicates the process and makes it harder for them to pay, while also limiting the amount of work required to earn the degree. 

Professional and nonprofessional degrees differ because of that fact. One benefits more from work and recognition by paying less, while the opposite is true for someone taking a nonprofessional degree. It affects students who financially don’t get the same advantages as other people do, and those are the people who could be affected the most by this.

FAFSA and Student Loan FAQs

What is the deadline for applying for college financial aid, and specifically for FAFSA?

You can only fill out a FAFSA form once per year, and some deadlines affect when you can do it. The federal deadline (last one before ineligibility) every year is June 30th, and this corresponds right before the July 2026 date next year for when these new changes go into effect for the professional degrees being delisted. 

The Federal Student Aid government website outlines that, “If you’re applying to multiple schools, look up each school’s FAFSA deadline and make sure your form is submitted before then.” Normally, these deadlines are right before a new year begins in the summer, but it’s still important to check. You can check out our FAFSA page, which mainly focuses on the application form and other information.

Who should be borrowing student loans, parents or the students?

Between graduate and undergraduate students, borrowing loans is a common practice, but with changes like this coming to universities around the country, it raises the question of who should now be borrowing them. These are discussions that are outlined within our College Money Talk page.

One of the most beneficial loans in this situation is called the Parents PLUS Loan. It’s a loan that’s in the parents' name. Parents of dependent undergraduate students can take out this loan to help pay for college if need be. Whether it’s the parent or the student who pays is all dependent on your financial circumstances.

These are discussions that we want to have with you as well! Don’t be afraid to come to us with any questions you have. We know how much this new change will affect many of you, and it is our job to steer you in the right direction and help create a path forward that will lead you to success throughout your college life.