Petition Calls on Department of Education to Include Social Work

In Brief

NASW delivered a petition to the U.S. Department of Education signed by more than 21,000 social workers that urges the agency to reclassify 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 current White House administration is pushing for major changes in student loans and student loan debt relief to rein in student loan debt.