A coalition of four major unions (the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers, and National Nurses United) filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2026 (PDF File) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the Department of Education's Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) rule on setting graduate versus professional student loan limits.

The complaint asks the court to vacate the rule's definition of "professional student" — the definition that determines whether a graduate borrower can access $50,000 per year and $200,000 total in federal loans, or just $20,500 per year and $100,000 total.

The unions collectively represent millions of workers, including nurses, teachers, social workers, librarians, and public health employees, which the new rules classify as "non-professional" for student loan borrowing purposes.