Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed the creation of a state student loan program for graduate students in the health care field who no longer have access to low-interest federal loans because of changes made by the Trump administration.
The move would ensure that Connecticut students seeking graduate degrees in professional fields such as nursing, social work and physical therapy would continue to have access to low-cost loans that cover their tuition, Lamont said.
The One Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Donald Trump last year prompted the U.S. Education Department to exclude those professions from its definition of professional degree programs eligible for low-interest federal loans.
Lamont’s proposal allocates $10 million in bonding to create the Connecticut Supplemental Graduate Student Loan Program.
It would be administered by the state’s existing Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA).
The bill is being considered in the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.
The move has the support of the Connecticut Hospital Association.
“We appreciate Governor Lamont’s proposal and the strong message it sends — that Connecticut stands with its healthcare workforce and believes in supporting opportunities for growth, advancement, and service to others,” CHA’s CEO Jenniffer Jackson said in a statement.
