Advocacy Update: Action on Student Loan Limitations, Upcoming Advocacy Workshop
CASE, Associations Urge U.S. Department of Education to Expand List of Professional Degree Programs
CASE has joined the American Council on Education and 39 other associations on comments urging the U.S. Department of Education to expand the definition of professional degree programs beyond the 11 programs it has identified.
The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, enacted in July 2025, includes new student loan limitations that will go into effect on July 1, 2026. Under the new law, students in graduate degree programs defined as “professional” will be able to borrow up to $50,000 annually in federal student loans, with a $200,000 aggregate limit. Students in graduate degree programs not defined as “professional” will have much lower limits, with borrowing capped at $20,500 annually and a $100,000 aggregate limit.
In negotiated rulemaking, the U.S. Department of Education chose to limit professional degree programs to just 11 programs, meaning a substantial number of graduate students would be unable to qualify for the higher loan limits. Programs such as nursing, public health, accounting, occupational therapy, architecture, and special education are excluded from the definition of a professional degree program.
In the comments, ACE, CASE, and the associations ask the Department to broaden the definition of professional degree programs, noting that such a narrow definition will curb affordability and increase costs for students seeking graduate degrees in high demand professions.
“We believe that institutions should ideally be able to determine the programs that meet the IPEDs definition for ‘Doctor’s Degree—Professional Practice’ as they are currently able to do today,” wrote Ted Mitchell, President of ACE.
The Department is expected to issue a final rule by July 1, 2026.
Advocacy Workshop Coming to Claremont, California, on March 30
Is your advancement team ready for the new tax law changes in the OBBBA? If you are in southern California, please join Brian Flahaven, CASE’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships on Monday, March 30, for CASE’s next Advocacy Workshop taking place at Pomona College. Flahaven will cover how charitable giving to schools, colleges, and universities will be affected by the new tax law and share an update on the latest developments from Washington, D.C.
About the author(s)
Brian Flahaven is vice president for strategic partnerships at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the global association for advancement professionals at all levels who work in alumni relations, communications, and development at schools, colleges, and universities. In this role, Brian oversees CASE’s global advocacy, corporate relations, fundraising, CASE@Campus training, and the Latin America region. Brian also serves as Chair of the Charitable Giving Coalition, a national coalition of public charities and private and community foundations, faith communities and other faith-based charities, and nonprofit organizations committed to expanding and preserving the charitable tax deduction in the United States.
Prior to joining CASE, Brian was the manager of government relations and public policy at the Council on Foundations. He also served as the first Public Policy and Philanthropy Fellow at the Council of Michigan Foundations.
Brian received his bachelor’s degree in political science, economics and history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Master of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
In 2016, Brian earned the designation of Certified Association Executive from the American Society of Association Executives. Brian was named to the NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 in 2023.