One in Three Nurses Have Student Loan Debt

TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly a third of registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in Michigan have student loan debt, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Health Affairs Scholar.Christopher R. Friese, Ph.D., R.N., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined the prevalence and amounts of nursing student loan debt and whether loan balances were associated with economic concerns and job plans. The analysis included survey responses from 13,687 nurses with a valid, unrestricted Michigan registered nurse (RN) license, including advanced practice nurses (APNs).The researchers report that 2,086 RNs and 692 APNs reported active loans in 2022, representing 28 and 33 percent of the respective subgroups. In 2025, the median loan balance was $33,210 for RNs and $66,420 for APNs. Among nurses with loans, 5.6 percent of RNs and 28.9 percent of APNs reported nursing student loan balances that exceeded $100,000, the proposed lifetime aggregate cap proposal. Nurses with student debt cited pay and benefits more frequently as the key factor for recently changing positions or anticipating changing positions within a year compared with those without student debt (51.0 versus 10.1 percent)."Nearly a third of advanced practice nurses had loan balances that exceeded the proposed lifetime cap," Friese said in a statement. "Placing this cap would likely limit the entry of current nurses into APN programs, threatening the ability to deliver primary care, obstetrical care, specialty care, and having enough faculty to teach nursing students in the future."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) .Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

One in Three Nurses Have Student Loan Debt

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