The department shall administer a student loan program under the Nursing Student Loan Act which shall make loans directly to qualified students enrolled in approved nursing programs in the State of Nebraska as provided in section 71-17,106. The number of loans made to qualified students at each institution which has an approved nursing program shall be in direct proportion to the number of students enrolled in each nursing program, except that the program shall include at least one qualified student at each institution in the state which has an approved nursing program. The funds shall be loaned in a manner intended to result in the greatest increase in the number of persons engaged in the study of nursing. Loans shall be made available for students beginning January 1, 2002, and in each academic year thereafter. It is the intent of the Legislature that a portion of the loans allocated be used to enhance the educational opportunities of nontraditional students and ethnic minority students.