Low-earning-but-vital careers in community service, the arts, and mental and social health could also be at risk, education experts say.
A new federal regulation approved by the U.S. Department of Education could eliminate financial aid for students pursuing degrees in lower-paying fields, including theology and religious studies, prompting concern among Catholic educators.
The Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability rule will require undergraduate programs to demonstrate that their graduates earn more than high-school graduates in their state. Graduate programs, meanwhile, must show that their graduates earn more than the typical bachelor’s-degree holder in the same field of study.
Under the regulation, which was approved June 29, programs that fail the administration’s earnings measure in two of three consecutive award years would lose access to the Federal Direct Loan Program. If an institution’s low-earning programs continue to fail the earnings test for three consecutive years, the department could also revoke their eligibility for Pell Grants.
“The Trump Administration is hitting the hard reset button on higher education and implementing commonsense reforms that will drive down the cost of higher education and hold all institutions, regardless of sector, accountable for low earnings outcomes,” said Under Secretary of Education
