Federal Court Temporarily Blocks Student Loan Rule

On June 25, a federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule that would have narrowly defined "professional degree" in ways that excluded degrees in social work, marriage and family therapy and other health care-related graduate programs from higher federal student loan caps. The ruling came ahead of a July 1 implementation date, in response to a lawsuit filed by trade organizations. While the new definition created by the Department of Education was temporarily blocked in this case, the broader loan caps enacted under H.R.1 were not blocked and will still take effect July 1. These include $100,000 for graduate students and $200,000 for professional students.