UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Analysis of the Coverage of GE Metrics for Small Cohort Sizes

Session 2: February 14-18, 2022

Due to both FSA and other federal agencies' privacy protocols, programs with too few completers in a 

cohort (after sample restrictions) cannot have debt or earnings rates published. These programs 

effectively are not subject to sanctions in the GE rule and cannot have their outcomes disclosed to 

students because outcome data is not publishable.

This analysis presents information on the share of programs and the share of Title IV completers in such 

programs that would not be covered by GE metrics due to their small size. Data are based on the number 

of completers in the two-year period spanning award year (AY) 2016 and AY2017 (referred to as “2-Year 

Cohort” in Tables below). We model how many programs have fewer than 30 completers (the threshold 

used in the 2014 Gainful Employment rule), and what fraction of total Title IV completers are in such 

programs. In addition, we present estimates of how many programs (and completers in those programs) 

would continue to have fewer than 30 completers if instead of completers in two consecutive years we 

combine completers in four-consecutive years to form the cohort for GE metrics (referred to as a “4-Year 

Cohort” below, and estimated by doubling the number of completers in the two-year cohort from 2016 

to 2017).

Table 1. Percent of GE Programs/Completersin Programs with Fewer than 30 Graduates in a Cohort, by 

Control

The data show that, while there are many programs for which GE metrics may not be publishable due to 

a small n-size, the majority of completers—particularly at proprietary institutions—are in programs 

sufficiently large to disclose GE metrics. Using a four-year cohort for programs that have insufficient 

numbers of completers in the two-year cohort allows GE metrics to be published for more students and 

programs.

 

Percent/Number of GE Programs with <30 T4 

Completers

Percent/Number of all T4 Completers in 

GE Programs in Programs with <30 T4

Completers

Public Nonprofit For-Profit Public Nonprofit For-Profit

2-Year Cohort 88% 88% 55% 40% 22% 4%

4-Year Cohort 76% 78% 42% 22% 12% 2%

Total Number of GE 

Programs/Completers

21,912 3,815 9,861 304,527 78,759 996,556

Additional Coverage (Number of 

Programs / Completers) Using a 

4-Year Cohort

2,692 365 1,284 55,896 7,405 27,307
2 | Gainful Employment Data on Small Cohort Sizes

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excellence and ensuring equal access.

2/11/22

Table 2. Percent of GE Programs with Fewer than 30 Graduates in a Cohort, By Credential Level and 

Control

The data in this table show that most of the programs for which GE metrics may not be publishable due 

to a small n-size are in the public and nonprofit sectors. The largest percent of programsin the proprietary 

sector that are too small to produce data are post-baccalaureate and graduate certificate programs, but 

those programs make up a small share of the total number of programs in the proprietary sector.

 

Public Nonprofit For-Profit

2-Year

Cohort

4-Year

Cohort

Total

Programs

2-Year

Cohort

4-Year

Cohort

Total

Programs

2-Year

Cohort

4-Year

Cohort

Total

Programs

Undergrad Cert. 87% 75% 19,094 80% 69% 1,630 48% 36% 4,792

Associate — — — — — — 63% 48% 2,762

Bachelor’s — — — — — — 59% 46% 1,351

Postbacc. Cert. 96% 89% 873 97% 89% 685 91% 89% 56

Master’s — — — — — — 52% 41% 560

Doctoral — — — — — — 58% 44% 144

Prof. — — — — — — 45% 43% 44

Grad. Cert. 94% 86% 1,945 92% 84% 1,500 79% 68% 152
3 | Gainful Employment Data on Small Cohort Sizes

400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202

www.ed.gov

The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global Competitiveness by fostering educational 

excellence and ensuring equal access.

2/11/22

Table 3. Percent of Completersin GE Programs with Fewer than 30 Graduatesin a Cohort, By Credential 

Level and Control

Table 3 shows the percent of Title IV completers from the programs illustrated in Table 2 with fewer than 

30 completers. The data show that coverage of GE metrics is lowest among post-baccalaureate and 

graduate certificate programs, but the number of completers in those programs is a modest share of the 

total number of completers. Overall, however, the share of Title IV completers attending programs that 

would be covered by GE rates is high at each credential level.

 

Public Nonprofit For-Profit

2-Year

Cohort

4-Year

Cohort

Total T4 

Grads

2-Year

Cohort

4-Year

Cohort

Total T4 

Grads

2-Year

Cohort

4-Year

Cohort

Total T4 

Grads

Undergrad Cert. 39% 21% 281,897 12% 6% 59,851 4% 1% 500,479

Associate — — — — — — 8% 3% 187,696

Bachelor’s — — — — — — 4% 2% 186,467

Postbacc. Cert. 64% 43% 5,473 69% 42% 4,083 32% 28% 505

Master’s — — — — — — 2% 1% 100,684

Doctoral — — — — — — 8% 3% 8,561

Prof. — — — — — — 1% 1% 7,874

Grad. Cert. 56% 36% 17,157 47% 29% 14,825 16% 8% 4,290