WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) today delivered a petition to the U.S. Department of Education signed by more than 21,250 social workers that urges the agency to classify social work as a professional degree and not a graduate degree. Professional degrees carry higher federal student loan eligibility, and the designation is critical to ensuring the affordability of social work education and the growth of the social work profession, an urgent need given the shortage of mental health providers in the country.
“The Department of Education proposed rule designating social work as a graduate and not a professional degree has infuriated social workers, who go through years of education and training to ensure they provide the best possible service to millions of clients each day, some of who are experiencing mental health crises, homelessness or economic uncertainty,” said NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C. “Our nation is also undergoing a mental health and substance use disorder crisis, and lowering student loan limits now could lead to a shortage of social workers and other mental health providers.”
The current administration is pushing for major changes in student loans and student loan debt relief in order to rein in student loan debt.
Social work has been around for more than a century and is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Classifying social work as a graduate degree could lead to serious repercussions in communities around the United States.
Social workers provide essential services in a variety of settings – including schools, veterans centers and child welfare agencies – and clinical social workers account for one of the largest groups of mental health services providers in the United States.
There is already a shortage of mental health providers, with nearly 160 million Americans living in areas with a dearth of mental health professionals, according to a 2024 issue brief from NASW. Last year, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) estimated that by 2025 there would be a shortage of 250,000 mental health professionals in our nation.
Limiting student loans will harm students who are women or people of color the most, making it more difficult for them to enter the social work profession, help meet community needs, and climb the economic ladder.
NASW is lobbying the Department of Education to classify social work as a professional degree in the proposed rule. The proposed rule should be released in 2026.
“The stakes could not be higher,” Estreet said. “The future of the social work profession is at stake and NASW will never stop advocating for members of our great profession.”