Education Department repeals gainful employment regulations

The United States Department of Education on 28 June officially rescinded the Obama-era gainful employment regulations, which penalised some higher education programmes that graduated students with too much debt relative to their earnings, reports the American Council on Education.

The move, which as the Washington Post reported was long-expected, follows the department’s proposal last year to repeal the regulations. In announcing the decision to formally repeal the regulations, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos referred to changes to add more information to the federal College Scorecard, saying, “All schools should be clear and transparent about their outcomes and all students should have a full range of information available. We’re committed to making that happen.”

But the American Council on Education and 21 other higher education groups submitted comments in September 2018, advising the department to revise rather than eliminate the existing gainful employment regulations. The 2014 regulations, while not perfect, addressed a serious problem and targeted where the abuse occurred and where the department had clear statutory authority to act.
Full story on the American Council on Education site