<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(230,230,230);text-decoration-line:none;text-decoration-style:solid;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Arial"> Please<span> </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3DttKn1fJS4AnOKpYxf-FrrEEDOmuCHYD--37yyCFG_CeutxMBzXYuswdyRDLD9mG05DpGcFi8lp3EUqrsiEjt7g~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw1VE69qOZWI-lEdnZgBknNI" target="_blank">click here</a><span> </span>to view the web/mobile version</span></span></p><div align="center" width="100%" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(230,230,230);text-decoration-line:none;text-decoration-style:solid;line-height:1.3"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600" style="width:600px;margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top" style="width:650px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="text-align:center;width:650px;border-collapse:collapse;padding-bottom:20px;height:auto"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3DLbjENowYVxWLzTSS6EV32n9WN35tldeoZroEXuak3bLbLF1k-wyiKkGnOk70kyGk1g2kaX_afzSUhiUExQ0MMA~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw3IN24JWYIi9DXqkTBpWDk0" align="center" target="_blank"><img src="https://maassets.higherlogic.com/image/AACTE/Office-of-President-Banner-2025_2984756_2985284.png" alt="AACTE Office of the President and CEO" border="0" width="650" height="150" align="middle" hspace="0" vspace="0" style="width:650px;height:150px"></a></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="*" style="width:650px;height:auto"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="width:638px"><br></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="*" style="width:610px;padding:0px 20px 10px;height:auto"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:15px 20px 5px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;width:570px;height:auto;background-color:rgb(250,249,246)"><div>Dear colleague,</div><div> </div><div><div>I
am writing to seek your engagement on an extremely important federal
policy issue. As you may have seen, the U.S. Department of Education is
working on regulations to implement the budget reconciliation bill
passed last July (the "One Big Beautiful Bill" or OB3). These
regulations exclude education students from the "professional student”
category.</div><div> </div><div>This exclusion has profound symbolic and
practical implications for our profession, students, and programs. It
sends the horrible message that the federal government does not consider
educators to be professionals. And, crucially, it cuts off our students
from needed access to federal student loans, threatening their ability
to enroll or remain in our post-baccalaureate programs.</div><div> </div><div>The Department of Education has published the<span> </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3DxOc8pwRe-rG3mRjRhZdrgmIcxHooGHWPQBaTSZRkPpXjM0B8QAA69U3yaYNKjft9uJ2xNSAdsYSxmnwBV1JBqg~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw1HgFM9BoGXiJ5G0JohPp1l" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(225,86,43)" target="_blank">Proposed Rule</a><span> </span>containing
this restrictive definition of professional students and is inviting
public comment by March 2, 2026. We must flood the Department with
comments explaining the impact of this policy and seeking inclusion of
all post-baccalaureate education students in the professional student
category.</div><div>I ask you to take the following actions to help ensure that your students have access to the financial aid they need:</div><ul><li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3DPD70ZbI3M46PW-hcZOoSrUGNeV_0Jw7BXGHx2Y1vMPgxJadDKAzbMi1GrXyaUGZpq09LbkY_cwoHFoYwLCQedw~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw1yzcYHTmX0itvQ41Xk8BYQ" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(225,86,43)" target="_blank">Read and share</a><span> </span>our "Explainer" with more information on the student loan changes imposed by OB3 and the professional student definition.</li><li>Ensure that your institution is<span> </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3D7tQhEzT16nn_MLVHLOLJOSq_lGGTNWDNBzbOlXXhTF6DLmPqDjH5Hqhn8grcqDPCLG77RYoQ4himIxgi_lgnsg~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw1snql9WozvnPfwiN6IoLqU" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(225,86,43)" target="_blank">responding to the draft regulation</a><span> </span>and that it advocates for inclusion of education in the professional student category.</li><li><b>Submit your own comments by March 2</b>, and encourage your colleagues, students, and K-12 partners to do the same.</li></ul><div>AACTE has prepared a<span> </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3DWM8rtArvJYZrZx0RJWvvIaILHA31CNxHeA1VMgCNjW6EnwolQqOi2ntS5OTyAvjm7N8vPOMtWCdcrKYS5QKKJg~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw1h9ajNaUxVWVi1b391b8t_" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(225,86,43)" target="_blank">Comment Guide</a><span> </span>to
assist with your efforts. It has advice suitable for deans and other
program leaders, individual faculty and students, and K-12 partners. We
have also posted a short video with step-by-step instructions for
submitting comments.</div><div> </div><div>Members of Congress are
introducing bills that may also address this issue, and you will hear
more from us soon about how you can support those efforts as well.</div><div>If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our senior consultant, Jacqueline King, at<span> </span><a href="mailto:jking@aacte.org" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(225,86,43)" target="_blank">jking@aacte.org</a>.</div><div> </div><div>In this matter — and all things — we are<span> </span><b>stronger together</b>.</div><div> </div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="*" style="width:610px;padding:0px 20px 10px;height:auto"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:15px 20px 20px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;width:570px;height:auto"><div><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="min-width:100%;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top" style="padding:0px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-radius:30px;border:1px solid rgb(225,86,43);overflow:hidden;background-color:rgb(225,86,43);border-collapse:separate"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" style="padding:12px 20px"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://send.aacte.org/link.cfm?r%3DzEfflfjnjuB69XbHQOf8zA~~%26pe%3Dg3Gj5VRmv0_ImlXXBvJH2q-6PrVprTHIVydgLTocJAQxRHZcgo7TcOdK7RLU20b2HVaPaHeZUNwJCb1k0piXSw~~%26t%3DavC0PYhxrYBjV-yii4r19w~~&source=gmail-imap&ust=1770672918000000&usg=AOvVaw0ZGHoErl7HItlsGxIsb3QS" title="" style="display:block;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:14px;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(255,255,255)" target="_blank">LEARN MORE AND TAKE ACTION</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div> </div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="width:610px;padding:20px;height:auto"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:610px;margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="*" style="width:228px;height:auto"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="text-align:center;width:228px;height:auto"><img src="https://maassets.higherlogic.com/image/AACTE/CEO-Headshot-185px_3013369.png" alt="Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy" border="0" width="185" height="185" align="middle" hspace="0" vspace="0" style="width:185px;height:185px"></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td valign="top" width="*" style="width:382px;height:auto"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:10px 20px 0px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;width:342px;height:auto"><div style="margin:0in 0in 8pt"><div>Thank you, <span> </span></div><div>Cheryl<span> </span></div><div> <span> </span></div><div> <span> </span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(78,95,112)">Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D.</span></div><div><font color="#4e5f70">President & CEO</font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(78,95,112)">AACTE</span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="*" style="width:650px;padding-top:0px;border-color:rgb(221,221,221);border-top-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;padding-bottom:20px;height:auto;background-color:rgb(230,230,230)"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-bottom:0px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:10px 10px 5px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;width:630px;height:auto"><div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img align="middle" alt="Untitled_design(3)_2747215.png" border="0" height="128" hspace="0" src="https://maassets.higherlogic.com/image/AACTE/Untitled_design(3)_2747215.png" vspace="0" width="225" style="width:225px;height:128px"><br> </div><div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><a align="center" 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