An Arizona nursing student has gone viral after claiming a new federal student loan law forced her out of nursing school just weeks before graduation. However, based on her own account, the dismissal appears to stem from the school’s missed-payment policy rather than the law she cites.
The student, who says she is in her third year at Arizona College of Nursing, starts the video in tears.
“I’m trying to keep it together,” she says. “I feel like this is the only thing that I could do this time.”
She says she has worked toward the degree for almost four years. She even gave birth on the day of one of her finals.
“I gave birth the day of my final. And they had me take the class,” she says. “I kept pushing through because I’m really resilient.”
The Arizona nursing student says she missed her first loan payment after her child’s therapy hours were cut. She had to pay for therapy and school while raising three children, including two nonverbal sons.
Even then, she kept going because she believed she was almost finished. Her July payment was due on July 1, with a five-day grace period, which she couldn’t pay on time.
But then her dean told her she was still being removed from the program for missing the payment.
“I’m so close to being done. And to be put out for missing my second payment is so unfair to me,” she says.
She says she even asked if she could pay her last two semesters in full to stay in the program. According to her, school officials said they didn’t know if that would help.
She frames the dismissal as connected to a “new law” from the Trump administration that she says caps student loan borrowing for nursing as a professional degree. While recent federal student loan changes have taken effect, the law applies to graduate borrowing limits rather than to undergraduate nursing students like the one described in the video.
By the end of the video, she is struggling to hold back tears.
“I don’t know what to do,” she repeats. She says giving up is not an option because of her daughter.
Internet Reacts to Arizona Nursing Student’s Dismissal
Most of the response has pushed back on her decision to link the dismissal to federal policy.
One commenter wrote, “I feel for you, but when you spout out things you dont know and turn around and blame Trump, my empathy is gone. Blame the school.” Another made a similar point: “Sorry that happened to you but it was YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure you paid your monthly tuition bill. Don’t blame President Trump, it was your fault.”
Others questioned the broader framing of government responsibility. One wrote, “Since when is it Trump or the government’s responsibility to see to it that your financial house is in order?” One user added, “Too many intellectually dishonest people make fact free videos to claim victimhood and deflect from their own failings.”
Not every reply was critical. One commenter offered simple encouragement: “I hope she can calm her nerves and come up with a plan b.”
The loan cap this Arizona nursing student references is real, but it doesn’t apply the way she describes. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July 2025, set new federal student loan limits.
Graduate students can now borrow up to $100,000 for standard graduate programs and $200,000 for degrees classified as professional. The U.S. Department of Education later decided which programs qualify for the higher limit.
Nursing was not included. A group of states, including Arizona, has sued over the decision. They argue that leaving nursing out could make healthcare worker shortages even worse.
The new loan limits only apply to graduate programs. They do not apply to undergraduate nursing students.
Arizona College of Nursing’s main program is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which is an undergraduate degree. The student also says she is a third-year student, which matches that program.
Although the student’s emotional video resonated with many viewers, much of the online discussion shifted away from her personal circumstances and toward whether she had accurately connected her dismissal to federal student loan policy.
