The U.S. Department of Education issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Jan. 30, 2026, titled “Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE),” which would significantly restructure federal student loan programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. This rule has been finalized as of April 30, 2026, and will go into effect for enrollment periods beginning on or after July 1, 2026.

In its response to the RISE rule, HIMSS underscored that changes to federal student loan policy could have significant ripple effects across digital health, health IT and clinical informatics roles.

The proposal implements provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including new borrowing caps for graduate and professional students, the phase-out of the Graduate PLUS loan program and the creation of simplified repayment options such as a tiered standard plan and a new income-driven “Repayment Assistance Plan.”

Advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, anesthesia assistants, public health professionals and other allied health professionals would no longer be considered “professional degree students.” Instead, they would be treated as “graduate degree students,” limiting them to $20,500 per year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with a $100,000 total cap. By contrast, students in fields like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and clinical psychology remain classified as “professional degree students” and can borrow up to $50,000 per year, with a $200,000 total cap.

While the department states these changes aim to improve affordability and reduce borrower burden, stakeholder comments submitted via Regulations.gov raise concerns about unintended downstream effects.

HIMSS highlighted in its response that proposed graduate borrowing caps and the elimination of Graduate PLUS loans may restrict access to the advanced, interdisciplinary education required for these fields, particularly for programs in health informatics, data science and technology-enabled care that do not always align with traditional professional degree classifications.

HIMSS cautioned that limiting financing pathways could reduce the pipeline of skilled professionals needed to support interoperability, cybersecurity, AI-enabled care and data-driven decision-making. As healthcare systems increasingly rely on information and technology to improve outcomes and expand access, these policy changes risk slowing progress toward a more connected efficient, and patient-centered health ecosystem.

For the health ecosystem, these policy changes highlight the intersection of education financing and workforce capacity, which is an area of continued importance as stakeholders work to ensure a sustainable, well-trained healthcare workforce supported by equitable access to education.