Public Comments Needed: Protect Federal Loan Access for Future Audiologists

The U.S. Department of Education’s Advisory Committee has proposed regulations implementing the higher education provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Among the most consequential changes is a revised definition of what constitutes a “professional degree program”, a shift that could dramatically limit federal borrowing for student audiologists beginning as early as July 2026.

Under the draft rule, only students enrolled in one of 11 specifically designated professional degree programs would retain access to the higher federal loan limits traditionally available to students in the health professions. These students could borrow up to $50,000 per year for a maximum of four years, totaling $200,000. All other graduate students, including student audiologists, would be limited to $20,500 per year, with a maximum lifetime cap of $100,000. For a clinical doctoral program that requires extensive coursework and supervised clinical experiences, this represents a significant financial barrier and a substantial departure from long-standing federal policy.

Audiology still clearly meets the Higher Education Act’s definition of a professional field, as graduates earn a doctoral degree and provide direct clinical care, but the discipline was not included among the 11 named professions.

The department’s rule was published for an open comment period late last week and will close on March 2nd, 2026. This is a critical moment for the audiology community to influence the policy direction. The Department does not count form letters, so they are discarded. That is why personalized comments, including individual stories, data, programmatic impacts, and firsthand experiences, are essential and will shape the outcome.

How You Can Act

With the open comment period, there are concrete steps that audiologists and students can take now:

• Draft personalized messages. Focus on how reduced borrowing limits would directly affect educational access, diversity in the profession, clinical training requirements, and patient care.
• Access the Academy’s template letter for help in drafting your comments here.
• Submit your personalized letter to the docket here.
• Continue to monitor news from the Academy on additional actions you can take once the comment period has closed.