A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction halting the Department of Education’s narrowed definition of “professional degree,” temporarily restoring higher federal borrowing limits for Doctor of Audiology students.
Audiology students scored a temporary but significant legal victory after a federal judge blocked a key provision of the Department of Education’s new student loan regulations, prompting the agency to restore Doctor of Audiology (AuD) programs to the list of professional degree programs eligible for higher federal borrowing limits.
On June 25, US District judge Beryl Howell issued a preliminary injunction preventing the department from implementing its revised definition of a “professional degree” under the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Final Rule. That rule had narrowed the definition to just 11 professions—including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, and optometry—while excluding a broad swath of healthcare fields such as audiology, advanced nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.
Judge Howell found that Congress, through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), had incorporated a longstanding federal regulatory definition of “professional degree” into statute. Because that definition had historically been broader and non-exhaustive, the court concluded the department likely exceeded its authority by adopting a more restrictive definition through regulation. As a result, the department must continue using the prior, broader definition while litigation proceeds.
Department Restores AuD Program Status
In response to the court’s order, the Department of Education issued updated implementation guidance confirming that AuD programs will once again be treated as professional degree programs for purposes of federal student aid during the court’s stay. The department also restored professional degree status for several other healthcare programs affected by the RISE Final Rule.
As a result, eligible AuD students may continue to qualify for the higher federal borrowing limits available to professional degree students while the litigation remains pending.
Borrowing Caps Still Change July 1
The injunction’s scope is narrow. While Judge Howell’s ruling blocks the department’s restrictive definition of professional degrees, it does not halt the broader student loan changes enacted by Congress. Beginning July 1, 2026, new borrowing caps take effect. The injunction affects only which academic programs qualify for the higher professional student borrowing limits—not the caps themselves—and most other provisions of the RISE Final Rule remain in effect.
Temporary Relief, Uncertain Outlook
The department has made clear that restoring professional degree status to AuD and other excluded programs is an interim administrative action required by the court’s order, and that it intends to appeal the ruling. The professional degree designations remain in effect only for the duration of the court’s stay, which is undefined, and could change depending on the outcome of the litigation.
The American Academy of Audiology has consistently opposed the narrowed definition, arguing that limiting access to federal student aid would create additional financial barriers for students entering the profession at a time when demand for hearing healthcare services continues to grow. The Academy says it will continue to monitor the litigation and advocate for permanent recognition of audiology as a professional degree program.
For audiology programs and the students they train, the ruling provides important interim relief from a policy that would have reclassified AuD education as standard graduate training rather than professional education—a distinction with meaningful financial consequences for program enrollment and workforce pipeline development.
Featured image: Dreamstime
