Protect Federal Student Loan Access

The Department of Education is considering whether to continue the long-standing health professions exemption for Unsubsidized Direct Loans.

This exemption has been critical since 1996, helping medical students borrow the funds they need to complete the intensive, experiential nature of health professions training. Without it, many students would face higher-cost private loans that lack the safeguards of federal student aid or be forced to forgo a career in medicine altogether.

Preserving this exemption is essential to ensuring access to medical education and addressing the projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. Eliminating this provision would only serve to harm patients nationwide, particularly those in rural, low-income or non-traditional communities who rely on timely access to quality health care. 

Share your story:

Submit your comment publicly or anonymously by August 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET to urge the Department of Education to preserve this exemption.

Tips for your comment:

• Explain how reduced borrowing limits would affect the ability to attend medical school.
• Share why affordable federal student loans are essential for you and your peers.
• Describe how loan barriers could affect your ability to serve future patients, especially in rural, low-income or non-traditional communities.
• Include your personal story about why you chose medicine, how a federal student loan helped you pursue it, and why this exemption matters.

When completing the form on Regulations.gov, select “student” or “individual” in the “comment category” section. 

Deadline reminder: Comments close August 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET.