New rule targets college programs that leave grads with low income, high debt

College programs that leave graduates underpaid or buried in loans would be cut off from federal money under a proposal issued Wednesday by the Biden administration, but the rules would apply only to for-profit colleges and a tiny fraction of programs at traditional universities. The Education Department is calling it a significant step toward accountability for the nation’s colleges. With more students questioning the value of a degree, the measure aims to weed out low-performing programs and assure students the cost of tuition will pay off in the long run.

“Investing in a college degree or career certificate is supposed to pay off — instead, too many students are getting ripped off every single year,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a call with reporters.

Opponents, however, say the scope is too narrow to help most students.

Known as gainful employment, it revives an Obama-era policy that was dismantled by the Trump administration before it took full effect. It was enacted amid a federal crackdown on for-profit colleges that contributed to the closure of several chains accused of fraud, including Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute.

Like the Obama rule, the new proposal would apply to all programs at forprofit colleges, but only to certificate programs at traditional universities. Opponents say it creates a double standard, with the potential to kill off hundreds of programs at forprofit colleges while leaving other programs unscathed even if they leave students buried in debt.

“The rule unfairly targets programs at proprietary institutions and fails to account for the unique challenges facing students and communities that career-oriented programs serve,” said Jason Altmire, president and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, an industry trade group.

The proposal would put college programs through two tests to determine whether they’re serving students well.

The first test would check whether a program’s graduates carry heavy student debt compared to their earnings. Programs would pass if their graduates have annual loan payments averaging no more than 8% of their total income, or 20% of their discretionary income.

A second test would check whether at least half of a program’s graduates earn more than working adults in their state with only a high school diploma.