Dozens of states sued the Education Department on Tuesday over the agency’s finalized loan caps that would limit the federal funds available to professional degree-seekers.
The limits officially go into effect on July 1. For borrowers going to medical school, law school, dentistry school, pharmacy school or other programs that the Education Department categorizes as “professional,” students would face a $200,000 aggregate limit for their time in that program and a lifetime limit of $257,000 for any federal student loan.
The complaint from 25 states and the District of Columbia argues that the Education Department is not acknowledging or including all programs and professional degrees. The lawsuit cites several degrees, including nursing, speech language pathology, physician assistant and physical therapy as programs the agency is overlooking.