Social Work’s ‘Professional’ Smokescreen

On January 30, 2026, the Department of Education (ED) released its proposed rule defining what constitutes a “professional degree,” excluding social work from eligibility for increased loan funding.

Worried, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the discipline’s national accrediting body, drafted its fourth statement on the matter—erroneously backdated for January 29. The organization urged members to comment on the proposed rule, raising concerns that the ED’s changes are “creating significant financial barriers for students.”