11/23/2025
The Department of Education (ED) announced its intent to move forward with new rules that would fundamentally change how graduate students finance their education. Master’s and doctoral occupational therapy degree programs would not be classified as professional programs, but instead as graduate programs with a significantly reduced tuition cap.
Put simply, this means that future occupational therapy students would be subject to a drastically lower loan limit—putting the future of the profession at risk.
What’s next? AOTA already has spent months spearheading advocacy efforts to change the definition of professional programs. Congress can fix this—but we need your voice. Go to www.aota.org/takeaction to let Congress know that occupational therapy must be included in any definition of a professional program. Read more about the issue in our new article. https://www.aota.org/advocacy/advocacy-news/2025/federal-student-loan-limits-where-we-stand-and-what-comes-next-for-ot
