NURSE EDUCATOR BLOG

These 4 Federal Policy Issues Could Affect Nursing Education and Workforce Growth

Throughout the first half of this year, ATI’s public affairs team has supported and advocated for policies to strengthen nursing education and the nursing workforce pipeline. Here, we share a preview of our areas of focus for the remainder of 2026.

Issue 1: Revising Federal Student Loan Policy

Earlier this year, the Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Rulemaking Committee proposed a restructuring of federal student loan policy that affects federal borrowing for graduate education. The rule to achieve this restructuring (the RISE rule) sought to reclassify advanced nursing degrees as “Graduate Degrees” rather than “Professional Degrees.”

As reported earlier in this ATI Nurse Educator Blog article, this reclassification would lower federal loan limits for graduate nursing students by more than 50%. The resulting higher out-of-pocket costs for students could force aspiring nurse educators and advanced practice nurses to delay or abandon additional education.

ATI is working to ensure that advanced nursing degrees are accessible. Our team has been building relationships with policymakers in Washington, D.C., submitting comments on behalf of our community, and engaging in media opportunities to draw awareness to the negative impacts this rule would have.

“An important story that’s largely being overlooked in the conversation about these loan caps is the impact they will have on faculty and the nursing education pipeline. Advanced nursing degrees are not just the pathways into vital roles that our healthcare system increasingly depends on. They are also prerequisites for most faculty positions to train future nurses at a time when 7.2% of faculty seats nationwide sit vacant — and a large majority of those positions (80.9%) require or prefer a doctoral degree.”  — Patty Knecht, PhD, RN, ANEF, ATI Chief Nursing Officer, in The EDU Ledger

Thanks to the voice of nursing students and educators, the House Appropriations Committee passed an amendment to the FY 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which states that the RISE rule cannot take effect unless advanced nursing degrees are considered Professional Degrees. However, this vote did not reverse the Department of Education’s RISE rule.

We received good news just days before the rule was to take effect. A District of Columbia federal judge temporarily blocked the rule from being implemented on July 1. The order blocks the Education Department’s definition of a professional degree. As a result, the department announced on June 29 that it would temporarily treat Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (MSN), Nurse Anesthetist (DNAP), and Nursing Practice (DNP) programs as awarding professional degrees subject to the higher loan caps. Importantly, this will be the case only as long as the court-issued stay is in place.

This is important, but temporary, relief for advanced nursing programs and their students. A legislative fix is still the most durable solution. ATI will continue to monitor developments related to the court case and share updates here.

Meanwhile, support for loan-related recognition of advanced nursing is growing. Congress is considering multiple bills that would identify advanced nursing degrees as professional, including the Nursing is a Professional Degree Act (S. 4568), the Clarity in Professional Degree Act (H.R. 6739), and the Professional Student Degree Act (H.R. 6718). Ascend Learning, the parent company of ATI, is an original endorsing organization for the bipartisan Nursing is a Professional Degree Act. 

We will continue engaging with lawmakers to keep advancing our community’s key legislative goals. The road ahead is long, but this is a significant step in the right direction to protect nursing education, and a strong proof point that our collective voices matter.

Issue 2: Preserve Title VIII Program Funding

The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs provide vital grant funding for nursing workforce recruitment, education, and retention. Specifically:

• the Nurse Faculty Loan Program encourages qualified professionals to become nurse educators
• the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Program helps expand patient access to advanced practice nurses
• the Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment programs address gaps in rural healthcare.

Without this crucial funding, nursing education programs could experience capacity constraints triggered by significant educator and preceptor shortages and budget cuts.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced to reauthorize and extend funding to the programs through 2030, in the form of the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.1874 / H.R. 3593). The 2027 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill is also being debated in Congress to determine exact funding levels.

As the FY 2027 appropriations process plays out, ATI will continue to meet with lawmakers and urge them to increase funding for Title VIII Programs in the FY 2027 Labor-HHS bill. Specifically, we are advocating for a total of $346 million for all nursing workforce development programs, a $41 million increase from current funding, including doubling appropriations for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program.

To learn more about the importance of Title VIII Programs, see this ATI Nurse Educator Blog article.

Issue 3: Improve Nurse Faculty Salaries

The nursing workforce shortage doesn’t just affect hospitals and clinics; nursing programs continue experiencing significant faculty shortages, with 7.2% of positions currently sitting vacant. A primary driver of this shortage is the inability to hire and retain enough faculty, largely due to significant pay disparities. To build the workforce and address gaps in patient care, we need legislation that incentivizes more professionals to go into nursing education.

ATI supports and is advocating for the Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act (S. 3707 / H.R. 7279), bipartisan legislation that would close the pay gap between academic faculty positions and clinical nursing roles. The bill would authorize a grant pilot program through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for eligible schools to supplement faculty salaries, matching or closely aligning them with competitive clinical wages.

Issue 4: Support Mentorship Access in Nursing Education

Qualified nurse preceptors are critical to the nursing education pipeline because they mentor nursing students and newly hired licensed nurses at critical junctures in their development. A shortage of preceptors is hampering the education system, limiting clinical training opportunities available to students.

To combat this, ATI is calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan Providing Real-World Education and Clinical Experience by Precepting Tomorrow's (PRECEPT) Nurses Act (S. 131 / H.R. 392). These bills would provide a $2,000 nonrefundable tax credit to eligible nurse preceptors.

ATI will continue meeting with lawmakers to advocate for this bill, which would increase nursing education capacity by encouraging experienced professionals to serve as preceptors.

How You Can Get Involved

The issues outlined in this article affect the entire nursing education community, making it vital for lawmakers to hear the perspectives of nurse educators, nursing students and practicing professionals. Your voices help them understand the importance of legislation to address gaps in the healthcare system.  

To learn more or to reach out to ATI’s advocacy team, please visit: https://linktr.ee/atiadvocacy