H.R. 6718 updates the definition of "professional degree" under federal student loan law to clarify which graduate and professional degrees qualify for certain loan repayment programs. The bill expands the list of qualifying degrees to include over 25 specific fields—such as medicine, law, dentistry, nursing, business, psychology, and social work—while also allowing the Secretary of Education to recognize additional degrees that meet the standard of requiring both specialized academic training and professional licensure. The legislation removes outdated regulatory references and provides a clearer, more comprehensive framework that benefits students in a wider range of professional programs by giving them access to income-driven repayment options and other loan benefits tied to professional degree status. This change primarily affects current and future graduate students in these fields, as well as those with outstanding loans in these disciplines. No specific funding or implementation timeline is included in the bill.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.