Tennessee lawmaker warns new federal student loan rules could worsen nursing shortage

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Education is changing the way it distributes student loan money — a shift that some Tennessee lawmakers say could make the nation’s nursing shortage even worse.

The changes come under the newly passed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which eliminates the Grad PLUS loan program that previously allowed graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance. Under the new structure, graduate students can borrow up to $20,000 a year, while students in designated professional programs — such as medicine or dentistry — can borrow up to $50,000.

High-level nursing degrees, including nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists, were not included on that new “professional degree” list.

State Sen. Richard Briggs, a Republican and physician