Thousands Urge Department of Education to Reverse Course on Rule Threatening Health Care Workforce

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With the public comment period now closed, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) is calling on the U.S. Department of Education to act on the clear message it received from across the country: nurse practitioner (NP) education must be recognized as professional education in the agency's final rule.

Following a nationwide mobilization led by AANP and supported by NPs, students, patients and allied organizations, thousands of comments were submitted urging the Department to include post-baccalaureate nursing degrees in the federal definition of "professional degree." Additionally, thousands of letters were sent to Members of Congress asking them to express their support for nursing directly to the Department. As a result, lawmakers weighed in directly, including more than 150 Members of Congress who signed a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging the Department to address this issue.

The Department is now reviewing those comments as it prepares to finalize the rule.

"A strong and unmistakable record has been created," said AANP President Valerie Fuller, Ph.D., DNP. "Nurse practitioners, students, patients and health care stakeholders have made clear that this proposed rule would put patient access to care at risk. The Department now has the opportunity and the responsibility to make the right decision."

AANP's formal submission outlined how NP programs clearly meet the federal definition of a professional degree and why excluding them would conflict with federal law, longstanding precedent and the realities of modern health care delivery. AANP urged the Department to explicitly include post-baccalaureate nursing programs—such as MSN, DNP and Ph.D. degrees—in the final professional degree definition.

If finalized as proposed, the rule would reduce access to federal student loan support for future NPs, making it more difficult for students to complete the advanced education required for licensure and practice. AANP warned that such a change would shrink the pipeline of NPs at a time when communities across the country increasingly rely on them for primary and specialty care.

"The Department is not only hearing this concern from AANP," Fuller said. "It has been echoed by thousands of voices across the country, as well as those from the health care community and organizations which rely on NPs to deliver care in their community every day."

In addition to AANP's formal comments, the organization led a letter from the NP Extended Roundtable Coalition. AANP also worked with a broad range of health care and higher education stakeholders to secure support from more than 270 organizations on a letter urging the Department to include post-baccalaureate nursing in the definition of "professional degrees."

"This is now in the hands of the Department of Education and we urge agency staff to listen to the concerns of the thousands of stakeholders who commented on the proposed rule and ensure the final rule recognizes NP education for what it is: professional education essential to patient access and the health of our communities," Fuller said.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization representing the 461,000 licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United States. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP advances health policy and promotes excellence in practice, education and research to support high-quality, patient-centered care. Learn more at aanp.org.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)