On June 24, 2026, a federal court temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) from applying new regulations significantly restricting which graduate degrees count as “professional.”

The designation allows students pursuing such degrees to take out up to $200,000 in federal student loans — double the amount permitted for other graduate programs. Among notable omissions were graduate education programs, a move that advocates said could harm educator pipelines.

The U.S. District Judge ruled that the USDE’s definition of professional degrees, which it released in April 2026, is likely inconsistent with the definition that Congress included when creating the caps last year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The judge also said the USDE’s rulemaking process likely violated the Administrative Procedures Act.

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