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Department of Education Concludes Negotiated Rulemaking to Finalize Professional Degree Definition
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) hosted the second round of negotiated rulemaking for the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee. The ED began its 2025 negotiated rulemaking process to implement major Title IV changes that were made to student financial assistance programs under Title IV through the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The ED organized two rulemaking committees, with the RISE committee focused on the restructuring of student loans, phasing out Grad PLUS loans for graduate and professional students, establishing new loan limits, and simplifying repayment plans.
The ED’s initial framework proposed that a professional degree should reflect “completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree” as well as a 4-digit Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code, and a requirement for professional licensure. By the end of last week, negotiators reached consensus on the definition to exclude social work among the 18 degrees categorized as “professional”.
Read CSWE’s statement regarding the negotiated rulemaking. CSWE will continue to monitor how the ED implements these changes by July 1, 2026.
Congress Reaches Agreement to Reopen the Federal Government
After a 43-day shutdown, the government has reopened after President Trump signed a bill to fund the government through January 30, 2026, and the House voted 222-209 on appropriations package Wednesday evening. Notably with the government reopening, food benefit programs will resume providing benefits and furloughed federal workers will return to agencies.
Notably, the shutdown deal does not include funding for expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, which Senate Democrats had demanded the extension of. Although, Republican leadership made an agreement to hold a vote in mid-December on a stand-alone bill.