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ACTION NEEDED: Department of Education Loan-Rule Change
DOE loan-rule change will drastically reduce student loan access for PT, OT, SLP, PA, and APRN students
(Please read and take 2 minutes to contact Montana's congressional delegation.)
Colleagues,
The U.S. Department of Education's RISE Committee has adopted a new draft definition of "professional degree" that excludes the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)--along with OT, SLP, PA, and APRN programs. Though DPT degrees have always been treated as professional degrees, this new definition removes us from that category and ties us to a 1965-era rule that does not reflect modern health care education.
If this definition moves forward into federal rulemaking in 2026, borrowing for federal student loans will be capped at $20,500 per year with a lifetime maximum of $100,000, and Grad PLUS loans would be eliminated for these programs.
This is far below the actual cost of graduate-level clinical training.
This change would:
· Shrink the pipeline of future physical therapists entering the profession
· Worsen Montana's already severe rural workforce shortages
· Create a two-tiered system among health professions
· Harm rural hospitals, clinics, schools, and veterans' access to care
· Montana cannot afford to lose PTs, OTs, SLPs, PAs, or APRNs--especially as we remain one of the oldest and most underserved states in the U.S.
APTA National and a coalition of health professions are strongly opposing this decision, but Congress must intervene now.
🚨 WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY (2 minutes)
1️⃣ Email your Senator and Representative
Copy/paste this message:
Subject: Urgent: Protect Federal Loans for Montana Health Professions and DPT Students
Dear Senator/Representative [Name],
I am a Montana [physical therapist/physical therapist assistant/health care provider], [role, e.g., small-business owner/clinician/faculty], and constituent asking you to act immediately on a recent U.S. Department of Education decision that threatens the pipeline of essential health professionals in our state.
Through its Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee, the Department of Education has adopted a draft definition of "professional degree" that excludes the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) as well as Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, Physician Assistant, and Advanced Practice Registered Nursing programs. Historically, DPT programs have been treated as professional degrees for federal student loan purposes, but the Department is now relying on an outdated interpretation tied to a 1965 law and CIP-code matching.
If this restrictive definition is carried forward into rulemaking, it will:
· Cap federal borrowing for DPT students at $20,500 per year, with a lifetime maximum of $100,000, far below the actual cost of accredited DPT programs.
· Reduce or eliminate access to Grad PLUS loans starting in 2026 for PT, OT, SLP, PA, and APRN students.
· Shrink the pipeline of future health professionals entering these fields.
· Worsen already serious rural workforce shortages in Montana.
· Create an inequitable, two-tier system among health professions.
· Place Montana's rural hospitals, clinics, schools, and veterans at greater risk of delayed or unavailable care.
Montana is rural, already short on providers, and among the oldest states in population. Our universities train PTs, OTs, SLPs, PAs, and APRNs, and many graduates stay to serve Montana communities and VA/veteran patients. If students can no longer finance these degrees, our workforce pipeline collapses and access to care across Montana will suffer.
This interpretation does not reflect congressional intent and directly contradicts decades of federal treatment of the DPT as a professional clinical doctorate.
I respectfully request that you:
1. Communicate congressional intent to the Department of Education and the White House, urging them to recognize the DPT and other licensed non-physician health professions (PT, OT, SLP, PA, APRN) as professional degrees for federal student loan purposes; and
2. Support or introduce legislation updating and modernizing the statutory "professional degree" list to clearly include these programs so that an outdated 1965 framework does not undermine today's rural health care workforce.
Montana cannot afford to lose these providers. Thank you for your leadership and for standing up for rural health care access in our state. I would be happy to provide additional perspective from the [physical therapy/rehabilitation/health care] standpoint in Montana.
Sincerely,
[Your Name, Credentials]
[Title/Role, if desired]
[City], Montana
2️⃣ OR Use This 20-Second Phone Script
"Hi, my name is [Name], and I'm a [PT/PTA] in [Town].
I'm calling because the Department of Education reclassified programs like PT, OT, SLP, PA, and APRN as nonprofessional degrees. This cuts student-loan limits and ends Grad PLUS loans in 2026, which means Montana students may not be able to afford these degrees.
Montana is rural and already short on providers. We rely on these clinicians to care for seniors, children, and veterans. I'm asking [Sen/Rep Name] to push the Department of Education to reverse this and to support legislation updating the professional-degree list. Thank you."
Montana Congressional Contacts
· Sen. Tim Sheehy (202) 224-2644 or contact us page
· Sen. Steve Daines (202) 224-2651 or contact us page
· Rep. Ryan Zinke (MT-01) (202) 225-5628 or contact us page
· Rep. Troy Downing (MT-02) (202) 225-3211 or contact us page
Final Note
APTA will notify members when the official proposed rule is released in 2026 and will provide additional opportunities to comment. The Montana PT/ PTA community must act now to protect the future of our profession and the rural communities we serve.
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