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@rockonancientqueen.bsky.social
Writer. Educator. Liberationist. Appalachia is in my blood. Justice is in my soul. A better world is in our capacity. Montani Semper Liberi.
If the Department of Education is going to reclassify degrees in a way that removes forgiveness options, raises repayment periods, increases interest, and strips away protections, then of course borrowers are going to push back.
November 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
If the Department of Education is going to reclassify degrees in a way that removes forgiveness options, raises repayment periods, increases interest, and strips away protections, then of course borrowers are going to push back.
This is not confusion. It’s not ignorance. It’s not people being dramatic. It’s people recognizing that a seemingly small bureaucratic change can have life-altering financial consequences.
November 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
This is not confusion. It’s not ignorance. It’s not people being dramatic. It’s people recognizing that a seemingly small bureaucratic change can have life-altering financial consequences.
And yes, people are right to be angry when their degrees are being reclassified in ways that change the repayment rules after the fact.
November 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
And yes, people are right to be angry when their degrees are being reclassified in ways that change the repayment rules after the fact.
It’s about the fact that the government is trying to shift the classification of certain programs in a way that reduces the number of borrowers eligible for forgiveness while pretending nothing major changed.
November 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
It’s about the fact that the government is trying to shift the classification of certain programs in a way that reduces the number of borrowers eligible for forgiveness while pretending nothing major changed.
It’s about the workers—teachers, nurses, therapists, social workers, public health staff—who literally keep communities alive but rely on federal forgiveness programs because their degrees cost more than their salaries can ever reasonably repay.
November 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
It’s about the workers—teachers, nurses, therapists, social workers, public health staff—who literally keep communities alive but rely on federal forgiveness programs because their degrees cost more than their salaries can ever reasonably repay.
This is not a meme about pride in your degree title. This is about how the finances of entire career fields function. It’s about the people who already signed contracts under the assumption that certain forgiveness programs were available to them.
November 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
This is not a meme about pride in your degree title. This is about how the finances of entire career fields function. It’s about the people who already signed contracts under the assumption that certain forgiveness programs were available to them.
These classifications determine whether interest continues to balloon, whether monthly payments stay affordable, whether forgiveness comes at 10, 20, or 25 years, and whether the borrower ever actually escapes the loan cycle.
November 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
These classifications determine whether interest continues to balloon, whether monthly payments stay affordable, whether forgiveness comes at 10, 20, or 25 years, and whether the borrower ever actually escapes the loan cycle.
People calling this “overreaction” do not seem to understand just how quickly the rug can be pulled out from under public-service workers when the government shifts its definitions.
November 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
People calling this “overreaction” do not seem to understand just how quickly the rug can be pulled out from under public-service workers when the government shifts its definitions.
It’s really about using reclassification to justify narrowing who gets forgiveness. If the DOE says your degree isn’t “professional” anymore, it becomes that much easier to argue that your role isn’t eligible for PSLF or that you don’t qualify for certain types of repayment relief.
November 24, 2025 at 12:08 PM
It’s really about using reclassification to justify narrowing who gets forgiveness. If the DOE says your degree isn’t “professional” anymore, it becomes that much easier to argue that your role isn’t eligible for PSLF or that you don’t qualify for certain types of repayment relief.
That’s exactly what this reclassification risks doing. It guts the safety net and then sneers at the people who need it.
The frustrating thing is how many people think this is only about limiting how much students can borrow.
The frustrating thing is how many people think this is only about limiting how much students can borrow.
November 24, 2025 at 12:08 PM
That’s exactly what this reclassification risks doing. It guts the safety net and then sneers at the people who need it.
The frustrating thing is how many people think this is only about limiting how much students can borrow.
The frustrating thing is how many people think this is only about limiting how much students can borrow.
If you want teachers, clinicians, and social workers, you cannot simultaneously demand their degrees be expensive, force them into federal loans, and then strip them of the protections that made their debt manageable.
November 24, 2025 at 12:07 PM
If you want teachers, clinicians, and social workers, you cannot simultaneously demand their degrees be expensive, force them into federal loans, and then strip them of the protections that made their debt manageable.
Speech-language pathology programs, NP programs, pharmacy programs, PT programs, MSWs, counseling doctorates, EdDs, PsyDs—these fields require advanced degrees while paying salaries that do not come anywhere close to matching the cost of training.
November 24, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Speech-language pathology programs, NP programs, pharmacy programs, PT programs, MSWs, counseling doctorates, EdDs, PsyDs—these fields require advanced degrees while paying salaries that do not come anywhere close to matching the cost of training.
This isn’t people being irresponsible. This is people following the path they were told to follow. And yes, some degrees do cost over $100k.
November 24, 2025 at 12:06 PM
This isn’t people being irresponsible. This is people following the path they were told to follow. And yes, some degrees do cost over $100k.
The government allowed prices to climb, encouraged students to take out federal loans, and created service-based forgiveness programs to keep these fields staffed.
November 24, 2025 at 12:05 PM
The government allowed prices to climb, encouraged students to take out federal loans, and created service-based forgiveness programs to keep these fields staffed.
Just telling these people “well your degree shouldn’t have cost that much anyway” isn’t a solution, it’s victim-blaming. It ignores how the entire pipeline for these professions was built.
November 24, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Just telling these people “well your degree shouldn’t have cost that much anyway” isn’t a solution, it’s victim-blaming. It ignores how the entire pipeline for these professions was built.
...and built their financial stability around forgiveness programs that were explicitly designed to offset the enormous cost of education in fields that desperately need workers—teachers, nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, SLPs, NPs, pharmacists, PTs, public health workers.
November 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
...and built their financial stability around forgiveness programs that were explicitly designed to offset the enormous cost of education in fields that desperately need workers—teachers, nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, SLPs, NPs, pharmacists, PTs, public health workers.
People already holding these degrees took out loans under one set of rules and are now being told the rules no longer apply. They chose career paths, accepted lower-paying jobs in public service...
November 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
People already holding these degrees took out loans under one set of rules and are now being told the rules no longer apply. They chose career paths, accepted lower-paying jobs in public service...
These are not minor changes. For a lot of borrowers, this is the difference between being able to work in a public-serving field and never financially recovering from the degree required to do the work.
And it’s not just future borrowers who are affected.
And it’s not just future borrowers who are affected.
November 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
These are not minor changes. For a lot of borrowers, this is the difference between being able to work in a public-serving field and never financially recovering from the degree required to do the work.
And it’s not just future borrowers who are affected.
And it’s not just future borrowers who are affected.
A reclassification can bump someone from a 20-year forgiveness track to a 25-year track. It can remove a monthly payment cap. It can increase the interest that accumulates. It can alter whether the program even qualifies for public service forgiveness at all.
November 24, 2025 at 12:02 PM
A reclassification can bump someone from a 20-year forgiveness track to a 25-year track. It can remove a monthly payment cap. It can increase the interest that accumulates. It can alter whether the program even qualifies for public service forgiveness at all.
Folks are acting like this is about prestige/semantics when in reality it changes eligibility for things like PSLF, SAVE interest subsidies, accelerated forgiveness timelines, teacher forgiveness, hardship-based discharges, & a whole list of programs that were originally tied to the degree category.
November 24, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Folks are acting like this is about prestige/semantics when in reality it changes eligibility for things like PSLF, SAVE interest subsidies, accelerated forgiveness timelines, teacher forgiveness, hardship-based discharges, & a whole list of programs that were originally tied to the degree category.