Congressman Lawler Expands Definition of Professional Degrees in New Bill

Washington, D.C. - 12/17/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) introduced the Professional Student Degree Act, a bill that amends the Higher Education Act to define "professional degree" and lists the graduate programs which meet the criteria.

The Working Families Tax Cut legislation modified the annual federal student loan caps for students in graduate programs. The law caps traditional graduate education at $20,500 per year and $100,000 overall. But for graduate students seeking professional degrees, this limit is raised to $50,000 per year and $200,000 overall. It refers to an existing regulatory definition of "professional degree" to determine which programs qualify for which cap.

To further clarify congressional intent, the Professional Student Degree Act, codifies the definition currently in regulation. It then adds to the existing list of examples to enumerate more programs that meet the standards set in the definition. In addition to programs already identified, the bill lists nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, ministry, social work, audiology, physician assistant, public health, business administration and management, accounting, architecture, secondary education, and special education.

"Any degree that fits the specified criteria in the 'professional degree' definition should qualify for higher loan limits. For so many essential workers that need advanced degrees and licenses to simply do their job, it will make all the difference. The Professional Student Degree Act will ensure that students pursuing essential degrees such as nursing, social work, physical therapy, and more are able to access the full range of federal student loan benefits, just as their peers in other professional fields," said Congressman Lawler.

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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