On June 29, the Trump administration announced the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS), a new accountability measure that could make certain undergraduate and graduate degree programs ineligible for federal student loans if their graduates fail to meet earnings benchmarks. Programs identified as potentially affected include English, drama and fine arts, religious studies, computer and information sciences, cosmetology and mental health, as detailed in the Department of Education’s (ED) full analysis of earning results.
“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,” Nicholas Kent, the undersecretary of education, said in a statement released by the ED on June 29. “If a program cannot show that it leaves its graduates financially better off than if they had never enrolled, it should not be underwritten by federal taxpayers.”
The new policy stems from legislation signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, with the Department of Education later developing regulations to implement its provisions. A public hearing then took place on Aug. 7, 2025, to gather public feedback on proposed regulations.
“The Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee met for five days of negotiations in January 2026,” reads the ED’s press release. “The AHEAD Committee included a range of impacted stakeholders, including higher education institutions, the legal aid community, employers and organizations representing taxpayers. The Committee addressed the accountability provisions contained in the Act, as well as the Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment regulations, and reached consensus on the final vote.”
According to Congress, Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) is the source of a significant portion of federal student loans. In order for a student to qualify for Title IV funding, their institution must have state authorization, accreditation and ED certification as well as an eligible program.
Programs can be exempted from losing Title IV eligibility on the basis of not participating in the direct loan program in the first place, as well as not yet being found to be low-earning. Implementation will also be delayed for programs relating to occupations in which the majority of workers receive tipped income.
STATS goes into effect in July 2027, at which point programs that fail to meet their respective earnings benchmarks in two out of three consecutive years could lose eligibility for federal student loans.
The Maine Campus contacted Thomas Ford, a fourth-year English student, for comment via email.
“I see this as a deliberate attempt from the administration to stifle the voices of historically left-leaning spaces like art communities. The value of art is not measured by income, it is measured by the lives it touches. One book can be sold for five dollars, but the story it tells could change someone’s life and motivate them to keep going. The value that brings to society, and by extension the economy, is indispensable,” Ford wrote in an email.
Ford argued that this decision would erode the literacy and critical thinking skills of working-class people, and that this would leave only those with greater means with the opportunity to build said skills. Ford also argued that the act was motivated by the Trump administration having greater support among voters without college educations.
“I have nothing to say to the administration because I don’t believe they are ignorant of the damage this will cause, but I have something to say to everyone else,” Ford continued in the email. “It is up to us now to make sure that America stays literate. Society dies when its ears are closed to metaphors and its eyes are closed to satire.”
