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To: U.S. Department of Education
Restore Architecture as a Professional Degree Under Federal Student Loan Policy
The Department of Education has removed architecture from the list of federally recognized professional degrees, limiting graduate loan eligibility starting July 1, 2026. Architecture is a licensed, regulated profession required for public safety—and students must complete a NAAB-accredited program to become architects.
We urge the Department of Education and Congress to restore architecture’s professional-degree status to protect access to education, licensure, and the future of the profession. We support the goals of the OBBBA but ask for amendments so architecture students and other design-related majors are not unfairly excluded from federal aid and professional advancement.
We urge the Department of Education and Congress to restore architecture’s professional-degree status to protect access to education, licensure, and the future of the profession. We support the goals of the OBBBA but ask for amendments so architecture students and other design-related majors are not unfairly excluded from federal aid and professional advancement.
Why is this important?
Beginning July 1, 2026, OBBBA would limit graduate loan amounts for degrees no longer classified as professional. Architecture students—who already experience some of the highest tuition costs, longest educational pathways, and lowest early-career salaries among professional fields—would face even greater financial barriers. This change risks excluding lower-income students and students of color from entering the profession, harming diversity, innovation, and the long-term strength of the field.
The public also stands to lose. If fewer people can afford the training required to become licensed, communities will have fewer qualified architects, resulting in weaker oversight of building standards, reduced design quality, and potential threats to safety and sustainability.
This issue matters beyond the classroom—it affects future architects, current students, educators, employers, and every community that relies on safe buildings and responsible design.
The public also stands to lose. If fewer people can afford the training required to become licensed, communities will have fewer qualified architects, resulting in weaker oversight of building standards, reduced design quality, and potential threats to safety and sustainability.
This issue matters beyond the classroom—it affects future architects, current students, educators, employers, and every community that relies on safe buildings and responsible design.