Inside Higher Ed
Jessica Blake
October 20, 2026
The Department of Education must add a doctor of naturopathic medicine (N.D.) to the growing list of degrees considered professional, a designation that unlocks more federal loans for students in those programs.
A federal district court in Oregon ruled Friday that associations representing naturopathic medicine programs are likely to succeed in their lawsuit challenging the department’s original definition of professional degrees, which limited the higher loan caps to a select 11 programs, and a temporarily expanded list that includes 29 programs but still excludes the N.D. That expanded list followed court orders in separate but similar lawsuits.