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In response, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Halaevalu Vakalahi, PhD, MSW, MEd, issued the following statement:
“CSWE is disappointed by, and disagrees with, the Department of Education’s decision to maintain its narrow definition of professional degrees—excluding not only social work, but other important professions such as nursing, occupational therapy, and others. Social work is a profession—period. Social workers address many of the most serious challenges facing our society and represent the bulk of our country’s behavioral health workforce. They are already in short supply across the U.S. Further limiting the ability for students to pursue a social work education will make the shortage even worse and impact thousands of communities.
CSWE will continue to advocate for increased affordability and accessibility in social work education—from cost savings, to affordable borrowing options, to increased scholarship and grant funding to students. We thank the thousands of CSWE members—faculty, students, administrators, and practitioners—who joined together with us to advocate on behalf of this essential and remarkable profession. Our work continues.”
Published on : April 30, 2026
CSWE Statement on U.S. Department of Education’s Limited Definition of Professional Degrees
On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education finalized its definition of what constitutes a professional degree. Despite receiving thousands of public comments urging them to expand the definition to include social work and other essential professions, the Department opted to leave their final draft unchanged. Therefore, students pursuing degrees outside of that definition—including graduate-level social work degrees—will see their federal borrowing capacity reduced by more than half.In response, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Halaevalu Vakalahi, PhD, MSW, MEd, issued the following statement:
“CSWE is disappointed by, and disagrees with, the Department of Education’s decision to maintain its narrow definition of professional degrees—excluding not only social work, but other important professions such as nursing, occupational therapy, and others. Social work is a profession—period. Social workers address many of the most serious challenges facing our society and represent the bulk of our country’s behavioral health workforce. They are already in short supply across the U.S. Further limiting the ability for students to pursue a social work education will make the shortage even worse and impact thousands of communities.
CSWE will continue to advocate for increased affordability and accessibility in social work education—from cost savings, to affordable borrowing options, to increased scholarship and grant funding to students. We thank the thousands of CSWE members—faculty, students, administrators, and practitioners—who joined together with us to advocate on behalf of this essential and remarkable profession. Our work continues.”
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