Together with more than 270 nursing and aligned health care organizations, the Alliance cosigned a letter to the U.S. Department of Education urging the inclusion of post-baccalaureate nursing degrees (MSN, DNP, Ph.D.) to the list of “professional” degrees as outlined in the Agency's recent notice of proposed rulemaking on Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE). "There are criteria the Department established, based on the longstanding definition incorporated by Congress, and post-baccalaureate nursing programs meet all of them... We stand united in our request that the Department include postbaccalaureate nursing degrees explicitly in the list of 'professional' degrees. This is consistent with the regulatory language and will help ensure a stable pathway of essential nursing professionals for years to come," the letter states. RISE puts in place adjustments to federal student loan borrowing limits and repayment plans, impacting access to federal student loans for individuals pursuing higher degrees in a number of fields.

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