The fact that the US Department of Education recently removed nursing from its list of “professional degrees” has caused widespread concern among nurses worldwide. The policy change mainly changes how federal student loans are classified, not how licenses or immigration rules work. However, its effects go far beyond the government. For internationally educated nurses (IENs) from the Philippines, one of the most significant sources of nurses in the U.S., this decision is not only a financial barrier, but it also sends a message that the profession is less important at a time when nurses are still very important to the health of the nation.
This commentary examines how this policy change will affect more people, what it means for Filipino nurses in the US, and what it could mean for future patterns of global migration. In the past, nursing has been seen in the U.S. as both a profession and a scientific field based on theory, research, and rules for how to do things. The omission of nursing from the revised list of professional degrees, while medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and law retain their recognition, raises significant questions about the federal government’s perception of nursing’s academic and professional identity. The Department of Education has made it clear that the change only affects graduate loan allowances, but the message it sends is hard to miss (Associated Press, 2025). The policy lowers the amount of money that graduate nursing students can borrow from the federal government. This makes it harder for them to pay for advanced degrees required for jobs such as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, or nurse educators.
The effects are worse for Filipino nurses. For a long time, the Philippines has been one of the largest exporters of nurses worldwide. Many of these nurses move to the U.S. to improve their careers and make more money (Ortiga, 2025). When Filipino nurses start graduate programs in the U.S., they often rely heavily on federal student financial aid because they usually can’t secure low-interest private loans and may not have the funds to pay for their advanced education. The new classification may make it harder for Filipino nurses to secure clinical leadership or educator roles, which are essential for strengthening the U.S. healthcare system, by reducing the amount they can borrow.
The symbolic meanings are just as important. Nursing is one of the most feminized and reliant on immigrants professions in the world. Its historical lack of value is linked to gendered and racialized views of care work. Taking nursing off the list of recognized professional degrees could reinforce old ideas that caring work is less technically or intellectually demanding than other health sciences. This is especially concerning because modern nursing is very complicated and requires clinical judgment, ethical reasoning, technological skills, and the ability to lead other professionals. A lot of Filipino nurses work in critical care and long-term care in the U.S. They may see this change in policy as a sign that their work, while important, is not seen as equal to that of other health professionals.
The decision has also caused confusion among IENs. After the announcement, people talked about it on social media, which made them worry that it might affect nursing licenses, immigration paths, or job eligibility. These worries are not true, but the quick spread of false information shows how easily migrant nurses can be affected by changes in policy language (Yahoo News, 2025). A lot of Filipino nurses already have to deal with visa processes, credential evaluations, and problems with fitting in at work. Any more uncertainty can make them more stressed and change how they see their job security in the U.S.
The policy could have an effect on migration patterns as a whole, not just on individuals. Countries like Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand have worked hard to make it easier for foreign-trained nurses to work there and have confirmed that nursing is a regulated profession that requires a lot of schooling. If the U.S. seems to be lowering the value of nursing education, Filipino nurses, especially younger ones, may start to choose places that offer clearer recognition, easier ways to get a graduate degree, and stable chances to move up in their careers. This change would have big effects because the U.S. depends on Filipino nurses to fill gaps, especially in rural and underserved areas (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2024). If fewer Filipino nurses come to work in the US, staffing problems could get worse and the quality of care could go down.
The effect on graduate nursing education in the U.S. is also worrisome. The shortage of nursing faculty is still a big problem for getting more students into nursing programs. Many Filipino nurses go to graduate school not just to get more advanced clinical jobs, but also to become teachers. Limiting financial aid unintentionally limits the number of future faculty members, which has a negative effect on the long-term viability of nursing education. Implementing policies that make it harder for nurses to get graduate degrees goes against the country’s broader workforce goals at a time when the U.S. needs to quickly increase the number of nursing schools.
Ultimately, taking nursing off the list of professional degrees is more than just a change in administration; it shows that people don’t understand how the field has changed and why it is important. Modern nursing is based on scientific research, ethical behavior, and leadership duties that are important for patient outcomes. For decades, Filipino nurses have been a big part of keeping the U.S. healthcare system strong, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when they made up a large part of the staff in high-risk units (Santos, 2022). Policies that undermine nursing’s academic credibility threaten to undermine public trust and deter current and prospective Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) from seeking opportunities in the United States.
It’s very important to change this classification. Policymakers should work with nursing groups like the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to make sure that federal rules are in line with how nursing is actually done and that everyone has equal access to graduate school. Restoring nursing’s status as a professional degree would show that the federal government is still committed to improving the nursing workforce and recognizing how important Filipino nurses who were educated abroad are to keeping American healthcare going.
References
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2024). The shortage of nursing faculty: effects and solutions. AACN Policy Brief.
Associated Press (2025). People are upset about borrowing cuts for graduate degrees. News from AP.
Ortiga, Y. Y. (2025). Internationalisation struggles and student mobility: ethnic exclusion and racism in Philippine higher education. Comparative Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2025.2520720
Santos, J. (2022). Hero narratives and the obscurity of migrant nurses’ systemic challenges. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 54(3), 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12780
Yahoo News. (2025). Graduate students are fighting back against the federal government’s new borrowing limits.
