Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand- Driven Workforce Pell: Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability

Document 2026-13286 is a Final Rule published by the Department of Education in the Federal Register on July 1, 2026, with an effective date of July 1, 2027. The Secretary of Education (Secretary) amends the regulations governing institutional eligibility, general provisions, and the William D. Ford Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program under title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended (the title IV, HEA programs) to implement statutory changes to the title IV, HEA programs included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (WFTCA) signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. These changes include revisions to program eligibility requirements for the Direct Loan program and the introduction of an earnings accountability framework that limits Direct Loan eligibility to programs whose graduates meet certain earnings benchmarks. This action finalizes regulations to implement the provisions of the WFTCA related to low-earning outcome programs and the Direct Loan program, and to harmonize those regulations with requirements for programs that are required to lead to gainful employment (GE programs). View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/01/2026-13286/accountability-in-higher-education-and-access-through-demand--driven-workforce-pell-student-tuition.

No. Document 2026-13286 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.