2026 Begins With Major Institutional and Programmatic Accountability Regulatory Negotiations
Overview
At 9 AM ET this morning the U.S. Department of Education (Department) and the group of twelve Non-Federal negotiators which comprise the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee began discussion of a Preliminary Discussion Guide to develop regulatory requirements implementing the statutory directives enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) law and align these new Congressionally established regulations with existing accountability regulations under the Gainful Employment.
Just prior to the end of 2025 the Department circulated a series of “precession documents” to the Non-federal negotiators which can be viewed on the Department’s Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025 (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=8cf2bb4220&e=05bce952ad) . The materials distributed included (click on each for more information):
* Committee Agenda (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=d0c5ea096f&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Discussion Draft and Amendatory Text (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=c5bd2a811e&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Discussion Draft and Amendatory Text (Annotated) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=59effb8c96&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data (Institution Characteristics and Completions) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=1e57cbeb57&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data (Enrollments) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=0c98594b60&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data (Financial Aid Part 1) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=b82db23afb&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data (Financial Aid Part 2) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=f5bbcbfdcd&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data (Financial Aid Part 3) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=4ddf0b8c73&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data (Debt, Earnings, and Earnings Test Metrics) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=66ed404c6f&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data Variable Codebook (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=82620f25d5&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data Fact Sheet (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=c13ee2c554&e=05bce952ad) *
* AHEAD Session 2 Program Performance Data Technical Appendix (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=994788fb8e&e=05bce952ad) *
Institutions and interested and affected parties seeking to monitor the negotiations in real time can register here (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=d490ce06bc&e=05bce952ad) .
Today’s Topics to Be Discussed
Topic One: Accountability Technical and Conforming Changes
* § 600.10 Date, extent, duration, and consequence of eligibility
* § 600.21 Updating application information
* § 668.43 Institutional and programmatic information
* § 668.91 Initial and final decisions o § 685.102 Definitions
* § 685.300 Agreements between an eligible school and the Secretary for participation in the Direct Loan program
Topic Two: General Definitions, Cohort Construction and Comparison Groups
* § 668.2 General definitions
Topic Three: Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS): Metric Calculation
* § 668.401 Student tuition and transparency system scope and purpose
* § 668.402 Student tuition and transparency system framework
* § 668.403 Calculating earnings premium measure
* § 668.404 Process for obtaining data and calculating earnings premium measure
* § 668.405 Determination of the earnings premium measure
Tomorrow’s Topics to Be Discussed
Topic Four: Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS): Reporting Requirements
* § 668.406 Reporting requirements
* § 668.407 Severability
Topic Five: Earnings Accountability and Student Warnings
* § 668.601 Earnings accountability scope and purpose
* § 668.602 Earnings accountability criteria o § 668.603 Low-earning outcome programs
* § 668.604 Certification requirements for Gainful Employment (GE) programs and eligible non-GE programs
* § 668.605 Student warnings o § 668.606 Severability
