The Gainful Employment (GE) Rule was intended to protect students from low-quality programs that often left them with a mountain of debt and credits of little to no value. Issued in 2014, the GE Rule worked to improve institutional quality while lowering costs and saving taxpayer money. Unfortunately, the 2014 GE Rule was immediately halted when the last administration took office, and officially rescinded in 2019.  

This new TICAS brief provides an overview of the GE Rule, why it’s important to advance equity in higher education, and policy recommendations for how lawmakers can strengthen protections by re-instating the 2014 Rule. We also suggest modifications to ensure students, taxpayers, and families are not being harmed. 

Read the brief