AIA Criticizes Department of Education RISE Rule for Failing to Acknowledge Architecture as a Professional Field
Department of Education rule will push many students toward higher cost private loans or out of the profession completely.
WASHINGTON – May 1, 2026 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is deeply disappointed in the U.S. Department of Education’s final “Reimagining and Improving Student Education” (RISE) rule, which excludes architecture degrees from being classified as professional programs under federal student loan limits.
Despite detailed input from architecture schools, students, and architects, the rule classifies Master and Doctor of Architecture degrees as “graduate,” not “professional,” programs. As a result, architecture students will face significantly lower federal borrowing caps than peers in other licensed professions, even though accredited M.Arch. and D.Arch. degrees are terminal professional credentials.
“Architects are undeniably professionals, dedicated to the health safety and welfare of the public,” said 2026 AIA President, Illya Azaroff, FAIA. “By disregarding the clear evidence that accredited architecture degrees meet its own criteria for professional programs, this rule creates unnecessary barriers for students – especially those from lower-income backgrounds – seeking to join and thrive in the architecture profession. This comes at a critical moment when our communities urgently need more architects addressing housing, infrastructure, and climate resilience challenges.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) replaced cost of attendance borrowing with fixed annual and lifetime caps and directed the Department of Education to distinguish between graduate and professional programs. The Department’s narrow implementation reserves higher caps for a short list of fields and leaves architecture under lower graduate caps that often do not cover the cost of education. That will push many students toward higher cost private loans or out of the profession completely.
The Department’s decision to leave these concerns unaddressed in the final rule has prompted AIA to call on Congress to act. AIA is urging lawmakers to advance pending legislation aimed at restoring equitable access to federal loans and appropriately recognizing architecture as a professional field.
“AIA looks forward to working with Congress to correct this policy failure. Federal loan rules should reflect the reality that architects are licensed professionals whose work is central to safety, housing supply, and economic growth,” noted Azaroff,
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