PART 600--INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY UNDER THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 

1965, AS AMENDED

§600.2 Definitions.

* * * * *

Recognized occupation: An occupation that is--

(1) Identified by a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code established by the 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or an Occupational Information Network O*Net-SOC 

code established by the Department of Labor, which is available at www.onetonline.org or its 

successor site; or

(2) Determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Labor to be a 

recognized occupation.

* * * * *

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1071, et seq., 1078-2, 1088, 1091, 1094, 1099b, 1099c, 1141; 

26 U.S.C. 501(c))

§600.10 Date, extent, duration, and consequence of eligibility.

* * * * *

(c) Educational programs. (1) An eligible institution that seeks to establish the 

eligibility of an educational program must--

(i) Pursuant to a requirement regarding additional programs included in the institution’s 

program participation agreement under 34 CFR 668.14, obtain the Secretary’s approval; 

(ii) For a direct assessment program under 34 CFR 668.10, and for a comprehensive 

transition and postsecondary program under 34 CFR 668.232, obtain the Secretary’s approval;

and
(iii) For an undergraduate program that is at least 300 clock hours but less than 600 clock 

hours and does not admit as regular students only persons who have completed the equivalent of 

an associate degree under 34 CFR 668.8(d)(3), obtain the Secretary’s approval.

(2) Except as provided under §600.20(c), an eligible institution does not have to obtain 

the Secretary’s approval to establish the eligibility of any program that is not described in 

paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(3) * * *

(i) Fails to comply with the requirements in paragraph (c)(1) of this section; or

* * * * *

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094, and 1141)

§600.20 Notice and application procedures for establishing, reestablishing, maintaining, or 

expanding institutional eligibility and certification.

* * * * *

(c) * * *

(1) Add an educational program or a location at which the institution offers or will offer 

50 percent or more of an educational program if one of the following conditions applies, 

otherwise it must report to the Secretary under §600.21:

* * * * *

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094, and 1099c)

§600.21 Updating application information.

(a) * * *

(11) Changing a program’s name, CIP code, as defined in 34 CFR 668.402, or credential 

level; or
(12) Updating a certification pursuant to §668.414(b).

§668.41 Reporting and disclosure of information.

* * * * *

(i) Financial protection disclosures—(1) General. An institution must deliver a 

disclosure to enrolled and prospective students in the form and manner described in paragraph 

(i)(3), (4), and (5) of this section, and post that disclosure to its website as described in paragraph 

(i)(6) of this section, within 30 days of notifying the Secretary under §668.171(h) of the 

occurrence of a triggering event or events identified pursuant to paragraph (i)(2) of this section. 

The requirements in this paragraph (i) apply for the 12-month period following the date the 

institution notifies the Secretary under §668.171(h) of a triggering event or events identified 

under paragraph (i)(2).

(2) Triggering events. The Secretary will conduct consumer testing to inform the 

identification of events for which a disclosure is required. The Secretary will consumer test each 

of the events identified in §668.171(c) through (g), as well as other events that result in an 

institution being required to provide financial protection to the Department, to determine which 

of these events are most meaningful to students in their educational decision-making. The 

Secretary will identify the triggering events for which a disclosure is required under paragraph 

(i)(1) in a document published in the Federal Register.

(3) Form of disclosure. The Secretary will conduct consumer testing to ensure the form 

of the disclosure is meaningful and helpful to students. The Secretary will specify the form and 

placement of the disclosure in a notice published in the Federal Register following the consumer 

testing.
(4) Delivery to enrolled students. An institution must deliver the disclosure required 

under this paragraph (i) to each enrolled student in writing by—

(i) Hand-delivering the disclosure as a separate document to the student individually or as 

part of a group presentation; or

(ii)(A) Sending the disclosure to the student's primary email address or delivering the 

disclosure through the electronic method used by the institution for communicating with the 

student about institutional matters; and

(B) Ensuring that the disclosure is the only content in the message sent to the student 

under this paragraph unless the Secretary specifies additional, contextual language to be included 

in the message.

(5) Delivery to prospective students. An institution must deliver the disclosure required 

under this paragraph (i) to a prospective student before that student enrolls, registers, or enters 

into a financial obligation with the institution by—

(i) Hand-delivering the disclosure as a separate document to the student individually or as 

part of a group presentation; or

(ii)(A) Sending the disclosure to the student's primary email address or delivering the 

disclosure through the electronic method used by the institution for communicating with 

prospective students about institutional matters; and

(B) Ensuring that the disclosure is the only content in the message sent to the student 

under this paragraph unless the Secretary specifies additional, contextual language to be included 

in the message.
(6) Institutional website. An institution must prominently provide the disclosure required 

under this paragraph (i) in a simple and meaningful manner on the home page of the institution's 

website.

* * * * *

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1094, 1099b)

PART 668--STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS

§668.6 [Removed and Reserved] .

* * * * *

§668.8 Eligible program.

* * * * *

(d) * * *

(2) * * *

(iii) Provide training that prepares a student for gainful employment in a recognized 

occupation; and

* * * * *

(3) * * *

(iii) Provide undergraduate training that prepares a student for gainful employment in a 

recognized occupation;

§668.14 Program participation agreement.

(a) * * *

(26) For any educational program offered by the institution that prepares students for 

employment in a recognized occupation, if the State in which the institution is located or a 
Federal agency has established the minimum quantity of training required for students in that 

occupation, the institution must--

(i) Demonstrate a reasonable relationship between the length of the program and 

requirements for the recognized occupation for which the program prepares the student. The 

Secretary considers the relationship to be reasonable if the number of clock hours or equivalent 

instruction provided in the program does not exceed by more than 50 percent the minimum 

number of clock hours or equivalent instruction required for training in the recognized 

occupation for which the program prepares the student, as established by the State in which the 

institution is located, if the State has established such a requirement, or as established by a

Federal agency; and

(ii) Provide any certification required under §668.414.

Subpart Q—Educational Programs Disclosures and Certifications

668.401 Scope and purpose.

668.402 Definitions.

668.403 Debt-to-earnings rate framework.

668.404 Calculating D/E rates.

668.405 Issuing and challenging D/E rates. 

668.406 [Reserved].

668.407 [Reserved].

668.408 [Reserved]. 

668.409 Final determination of the D/E rates. 

668.410 Consequences of the D/E rates measure. 

668.411 [Reserved].
668.412 Disclosure requirements.

668.413 [Reserved].

668.414 Certification requirements for educational programs.

668.415 Severability.

Subpart Q—Educational Programs Disclosures and Certifications.

§668.401 Scope and purpose.

This subpart applies to an educational program offered by an eligible institution and establishes -

(a) 

Procedures by which the Secretary calculates the program’s debt-to-earnings rates; and

(b) Program-level disclosure and certification requirements.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1231a)

§668.402 Definitions.

The following definitions apply to this subpart.

Annual earnings rate. The percentage of an educational program’s annual loan payment 

compared to the annual earnings of the students who completed the program, as calculated under 

§668.404.

Classification of instructional program (CIP) code. A taxonomy of instructional program 

classifications and descriptions developed by the U.S. Department of Education's National 

Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The CIP code for a program is six digits. 

Cohort period. The two-year cohort period during which those students who complete an 

educational program are identified in order to assess their loan debt and earnings. The cohort 

period covers two consecutive award years that are--
(1) The third and fourth award years prior to the award year for which the D/E rates are 

calculated pursuant to §668.404. For example, if D/E rates are calculated for award year 2016-

2017, the two-year cohort period is award years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014; or

(2) For an educational program whose students are required to complete a medical or 

dental internship or residency, the sixth and seventh award years prior to the award year for 

which the D/E rates are calculated. For example, if D/E rates are calculated for award year 

2016-2017 the two-year cohort period is award years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. For this 

purpose, a required medical or dental internship or residency is a supervised training program 

that--

(i) Requires the student to hold a degree as a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, or as a 

doctor of dental science; 

(ii) Leads to a degree or certificate awarded by an institution of higher education, a 

hospital, or a health care facility that offers post-graduate training; and 

(iii) Must be completed before the student may be licensed by a State and board certified 

for professional practice or service.

Credential level. The level of the academic credential awarded by an institution to 

students who complete the educational program. For the purposes of this subpart, the 

undergraduate credential levels are: undergraduate certificate or diploma, associate degree, 

bachelor's degree, and post-baccalaureate certificate; and the graduate credential levels are 

graduate certificate (including a postgraduate certificate), master's degree, doctoral degree, and 

first-professional degree (e.g., MD, DDS, JD).

Debt-to-earnings rates (D/E rates). The discretionary income rate and annual earnings 

rate as calculated under §668.404.
Discretionary income rate. The percentage of an educational program’s annual loan 

payment compared to the discretionary income of the students who completed the program, as 

calculated under §668.404.

Educational program. An educational program (as defined in §600.2) offered by an 

institution under §668.8(c)(3) or (d) and identified by a combination of the institution's six-digit 

Office of Postsecondary Education ID (OPEID) number, the program's six-digit CIP code as 

assigned by the institution or determined by the Secretary, the program's credential level, and 

other identifiers as determined by the Secretary.

Length of the program. The amount of time in weeks, months, or years that is specified 

in the institution's catalog, marketing materials, or other official publications for a student to 

complete the requirements needed to obtain the degree or credential offered by the program.

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Metropolitan Statistical Area as published by 

the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and available at www.census.gov/programssurveys/metro-micro.html or its successor site. For an educational program offered by a foreign 

medical school, the applicable MSAs are the MSAs of the program’s clinical sites. For an 

educational program offered by any other type of foreign school, the MSA is the MSA for 

Washington, DC. 

Poverty Guideline. The Poverty Guideline for a single person in the continental United 

States as published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and available at

https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines or its successor site.

Prospective student. An individual who has contacted an eligible institution for the 

purpose of requesting information about enrolling in an educational program or who has been 
contacted directly by the institution or by a third party on behalf of the institution about enrolling 

in a program.

Student. An individual who received title IV, HEA program Direct Loan or Pell Grant 

funds for enrolling in an educational program.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088)

§668.403 Debt-to-earnings rate framework.

(a) Debt-to-earnings rates (D/E rates). For each award year and for each eligible 

educational program offered by an institution, the Secretary calculates two D/E rates, the 

discretionary income rate and the annual earnings rate, using the procedures in §§668.404 and

668.405. 

(b) Comparison threshold for the D/E rates measure. (1) An educational program is 

considered to have an acceptableD/E rates measure if--

(i) Its discretionary income rate is less than or equal to 20 percent; or

(ii) Its annual earnings rate is less than or equal to eight percent.

(2) An educational program is deemed to be a low-performing program under the D/E 

rates measure if--

(i) Its discretionary income rate is greater than 20 percent or the income for the 

denominator of the rate (discretionary earnings) is negative or zero; and

(ii) Its annual earnings rate is greater than 8 percent or the denominator of the rate 

(annual earnings) is zero.

 (3) For any award year that the Secretary does not calculate or issue D/E rates for an 

educational program for an award year pursuant to §668.404(f), the institution discloses the 

program’s D/E rates for the previous award year, if available.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088)
§668.404 Calculating D/E rates.

(a) General. Except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section, for each award year, the 

Secretary calculates D/E rates for an educational program as follows:

(1) Discretionary income rate = annual loan payment / (the higher of the mean or median 

annual earnings – (1.5 x Poverty Guideline)). For the purposes of this paragraph, the Secretary 

applies the Poverty Guideline for the calendar year immediately following the calendar year for 

which annual earnings are obtained under paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) Annual earnings rate = annual loan payment / the higher of the mean or median 

annual earnings.

(b) Annual loan payment. The Secretary calculates the annual loan payment for an 

educational program by--

(1)(i) Determining the median loan debt of the students who completed the program 

during the cohort period, based on the lesser of the loan debt incurred by each student as 

determined under paragraph (d)(1) of this section and the total amount for tuition and fees and 

books, equipment, and supplies for each student as determined under paragraph (d)(3) of this 

section;

(ii) Removing, if applicable, the appropriate number of highest loan debts as described in 

§668.405(e)(2); and

(iii) Calculating the median of the remaining amounts.

(2)(i) Amortizing the median loan debt over a 15-year repayment period. 

(ii) Using the annual statutory interest rates on Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans that 

were in effect during the last award year of the cohort period. In determining the rate, the 

Secretary will use--
(A) The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan interest rate applicable to undergraduate 

students for undergraduate certificate programs, post-baccalaureate certificate programs, 

bachelor’s degree programs, and associate degree programs; or

(B) The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan interest rate applicable to graduate students

for graduate certificate programs, master’s degree programs, doctoral programs, and first 

professional degree programs. 

(c) Annual earnings. (1) The Secretary obtains from the Social Security Administration 

(SSA), under §668.405, the most currently available mean and median annual earnings of the 

students who completed the educational program during the cohort period and who are not 

excluded under paragraph (e) of this section; and

(2) The Secretary uses the higher of the mean or median annual earnings to calculate the 

D/E rates.

(d) Loan debt and assessed charges. (1) The Secretary will determine the loan debt for a 

student using the amount of title IV loans that the student borrowed (total amount disbursed less 

any cancellations or adjustments) for enrollment in the program (Federal PLUS Loans made to 

parents of dependent students, Direct PLUS Loans made to parents of dependent students, and 

Direct Unsubsidized Loans that were converted from TEACH Grants are not included).

(2) The Secretary may elect to include in the calculation institutional loan debt, private 

loan debt, tuition and fees and books and supplies by publishing notice of such election, and the 

manner in which institutions must report such information, in the Federal Register.

(3) The Secretary attributes all of the loan debt incurred by the student, and attributes 

the amount for enrollment in any--
(i) Undergraduate educational program at the institution to the highest credentialed 

undergraduate program subsequently completed by the student at the institution as of the end of 

the most recently completed award year prior to the calculation of the draft D/E rates under this 

section; and

(ii) Graduate educational program at the institution to the highest credentialed graduate

program completed by the student at the institution as of the end of the most recently completed 

award year prior to the calculation of the draft D/E rates under this section; and

(4) The Secretary excludes any loan debt incurred by the student for enrollment in 

educational programs at other institutions. However, the Secretary may include loan debt 

incurred by the student for enrollment in educational programs at any other institutions if the 

institution and the other institutions are under common ownership or control, as determined by 

the Secretary in accordance with 34 CFR 600.31.

(e) Exclusions. The Secretary excludes a student from both the numerator and the 

denominator of the D/E rates calculation if the Secretary determines that--

(1) One or more of the student’s title IV loans are under consideration by the Secretary, 

or have been approved, for a discharge on the basis of the student’s total and permanent 

disability, under 34 CFR 674.61, 682.402, or 685.212;

(2) The student was enrolled for at least 60 days in any other eligible program at the 

institution or at another institution during the calendar year for which the Secretary obtains 

earnings information under paragraph (c) of this section;

(3) For undergraduate programs, the student completed a higher credentialed 

undergraduate program at the institution subsequent to completing the program as of the end of 
the most recently completed award year prior to the calculation of the draft D/E rates under this 

section;

(4) For graduate programs, the student completed a higher credentialed graduate GE 

program at the institution subsequent to completing the program as of the end of the most 

recently completed award year prior to the calculation of the draft D/E rates under this section; or

(5) The student died.

(f) D/E rates not issued. The Secretary does not issue draft or final D/E rates for an 

educational program under §668.405 if--

(1) After applying the exclusions in paragraph (e) of this section, fewer than 10 students 

completed the program during the two-year cohort period; or

(2) SSA does not provide the mean and median earnings for the program as provided 

under paragraph (c) of this section.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094)

§668.405 Issuing and challenging D/E rates. 

(a) Overview. For each award year, the Secretary determines the D/E rates for an 

educational program at an institution by--

(1) Creating a list of the students who completed the program during the cohort period 

and providing the list to the institution, as provided in paragraph (b) of this section;

(2) Allowing the institution to correct the information about the students on the list, as 

provided in paragraph (c) of this section;

(3) Obtaining from SSA the mean and median annual earnings of the students on the list, 

as provided in paragraph (d) of this section;

(4) Calculating draft D/E rates and providing them to the institution, as provided in 

paragraph (e) of this section;
(5) Allowing the institution to challenge the median loan debt used to calculate the draft 

D/E rates, as provided in paragraph (f) of this section; and

(6) Calculating final D/E rates and providing them to the institution, as provided in 

paragraph (g) of this section.

(b) Creating the list of students. (1) The Secretary selects the students to be included on 

the list by--

(i) Identifying the students who completed the program during the cohort period from the 

enrollment data reported by the institution; and

(ii) Indicating which students would be removed from the list under §668.404(e) and the 

specific reason for the exclusion.

(2) The Secretary provides the list to the institution and states which cohort period was 

used to select the students.

(c) Institutional corrections to the list. (1) The Secretary presumes that the list of 

students and the identity information for those students are correct unless, as set forth in 

procedures established by the Secretary, the institution provides evidence to the contrary 

satisfactory to the Secretary. The institution bears the burden of proof that the list is incorrect.

(2) No later than 45 days after the date the Secretary provides the list to the institution, 

the institution may-- 

(i) Provide evidence showing that a student should be included on or removed from the 

list pursuant to §668.404(e); or

(ii) Correct or update a student's identity information and the student's program 

attendance information.
(3) After the 45-day period expires, the institution may no longer seek to correct the list 

of students or revise the identity or program information of those students included on the list. 

(4) The Secretary considers the evidence provided by the institution and either accepts 

the correction or notifies the institution of the reasons for not accepting the correction. If the 

Secretary accepts the correction, the Secretary uses the corrected information to create the final 

list. The Secretary provides the institution with the final list.

(d) Obtaining earnings data. The Secretary submits the final list to SSA. For the 

purposes of this section, SSA returns to the Secretary--

(1) The mean and median annual earnings of the students on the list whom SSA has 

matched to SSA earnings data, in aggregate and not in individual form; and

(2) The number, but not the identities, of students on the list that SSA could not match.

(e) Calculating draft D/E rates. (1) If the SSA earnings data includes reports from 

records of earnings on at least 10 students, the Secretary uses the higher of the mean or median 

annual earnings provided by SSA to calculate draft D/E rates for an educational program, as 

provided in §668.404.

(2) If SSA reports that it was unable to match one or more of the students on the final 

list, the Secretary does not include in the calculation of the median loan debt the same number of 

students with the highest loan debts as the number of students whose earnings SSA did not 

match. For example, if SSA is unable to match three students out of 100 students, the Secretary 

orders by amount the debts of the 100 listed students and excludes from the D/E rates calculation 

the three largest loan debts.

(3)(i) The Secretary notifies the institution of the draft D/E rates for the program and 

provides the mean and median annual earnings obtained from SSA and the individual student 
loan information used to calculate the rates, including the loan debt that was used in the 

calculation for each student.

(ii) The draft D/E rates and the data described in paragraphs (b) through (e) of this 

section are not considered public information. 

(f) Institutional challenges to draft D/E rates. (1) The Secretary presumes that the loan 

debt information used to calculate the median loan debt for the program under §668.404 is 

correct unless the institution provides evidence satisfactory to the Secretary, as provided in 

paragraph (f)(2) of this section, that the information is incorrect. The institution bears the burden 

of proof to show that the loan debt information is incorrect and to show how it should be 

corrected.

(2) No later than 45 days after the Secretary notifies an institution of the draft D/E rates 

for a program, the institution may challenge the accuracy of the loan debt information that the 

Secretary used to calculate the median loan debt for the program under §668.404 by submitting 

evidence, in a format and through a process determined by the Secretary, that demonstrates that 

the median loan debt calculated by the Secretary is incorrect. 

(3) In a challenge under this section, the Secretary does not consider--

(i) Any objection to the mean or median annual earnings that SSA provided to the 

Secretary based on the program information provided to SSA; 

(ii) More than one challenge to the student-specific data on which draft D/E rates are 

based for a program for an award year; or

(iii) Any challenge that is not timely submitted.
(4) The Secretary considers the evidence provided by an institution challenging the 

median loan debt and notifies the institution of whether the challenge is accepted or the reasons 

why the challenge is not accepted. 

(5) If the information from an accepted challenge changes the median loan debt of the 

program, the Secretary recalculates the program's draft D/E rates.

(6) An institution that does not timely challenge the draft D/E rates for a program waives 

any objection to those rates.

(g) Final D/E rates. (1) After expiration of the 45-day period and subject to resolution 

of any challenge under paragraph (f) of this section, a program's draft D/E rates constitute its 

final D/E rates.

(2) The Secretary informs the institution of the final D/E rates for each of its GE 

programs by issuing the notice of determination described in §668.409(a). 

(3) After the Secretary provides the notice of determination to the institution, the 

Secretary may publish the final D/E rates for the program.

(h) Conditions for corrections and challenges. An institution must ensure that any 

material that it submits to make any correction or challenge under this section is complete, 

timely, accurate, and in a format acceptable to the Secretary and consistent with any instructions 

provided to the institution with the notice of its draft D/E rates and the notice of determination.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094)

§668.406 [Reserved]

668.407 [Reserved].

668.408 [Reserved]. 

§668.409 Final determination of the D/E rates.
(a) Notice of determination. For each award year for which the Secretary calculates D/E 

rates for an educational program, the Secretary issues a notice of determination informing the 

institution of the following:

(1) The final D/E rates for the program as determined under §§668.404 and 668.405.

(2) The final determination by the Secretary of whether the program is acceptable or 

low-performing under the D/E rates measure, as described in §668.403, and the consequences of 

that determination.

(3) Whether the institution is required to provide a notification under §668.410(a).

(b) Effective date of Secretary's final determination. The Secretary's determination as to 

the D/E rates is effective on the date that is specified in the notice of determination. The 

determination constitutes the final decision of the Secretary with respect to D/E rates and the 

Secretary provides for no further appeal of that determination.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094)

§668.410 Notification for low-performing programs .

(a) General. For any year in which an educational program is determined by the 

Secretary to be low performing under the D/E rates measure, the institution must provide a

notification to students and prospective students. 

(b) Content of notification. Unless otherwise specified by the Secretary in a notice 

published in the Federal Register, the notification must-- 

(1) State that: “This program has not met standards established by the U.S. Department 

of Education. The Department based these standards on the amounts students borrow for 

enrollment in this program and the reported earnings that were reported to the Internal Revenue 

Service. Similar programs offered at other institutions may have better outcomes under this 
measure. Please note, however, that this program measure could be affected if a significant 

number of students who completed our program graduates did not report all of their income, such 

as tip income, or were self-employed and had business expenses that reduced the earnings being 

reported.”;

(2) Refer students and prospective students to (and include a link for) College 

Navigator, its successor site, or another similar Federal resource, for information about other 

similar programs; and

(3) For anotification provided to enrolled students--

(i) Describe the academic and financial options available to students to continue their 

education in another program at the institution, including whether the students could transfer 

credits earned in the program to another program at the institution and which course credits 

would transfer; and

(ii) Indicate whether the institution has made, or is making, changes to the educational 

program that are designed to improve its outcomes, and provide details about those changes.

(c) Alternative languages. To the extent practicable, the institution must provide 

alternatives to the English-language student notification for those students and prospective 

students for whom English is not their first language.

(d) Delivery to students. (1) An institution must provide the notification required under 

this section in writing to each student enrolled in the program no later than 30 days after the date 

of the Secretary's notice of determination under §668.409 by--

(i) Hand-delivering the notification as a separate document to the student individually or 

as part of a group presentation; or
(ii) Sending the notification to the primary email address used by the institution for 

communicating with the student about the program.

(2) If the institution sends the notification by email, the institution must—

(i) Ensure that the notification is the only content in the email;

(ii) Send the notification using a different address or method of delivery if the institution 

receives a response that the email could not be delivered; and

(iii) Maintain records of its efforts to provide the notification required by this section. 

(e) Delivery to prospective students — (1) General. An institution must provide any 

notification required under this section to each prospective student or to each third party acting 

on behalf of the prospective student at the first contact about the program between the institution 

and the student or the third party acting on behalf of the student by--

(i) Hand-delivering the notification as a separate document to the prospective student or 

third party individually or as part of a group presentation;

(ii) Sending the notification to the primary email address used by the institution for 

communicating with the prospective student or third party about the program;

(iii) Providing the prospective student or third party a copy of the disclosure template 

that includes the notification required by this section; or

(iv) Providing the notification orally to the student or third party if the contact is by 

telephone.

(2) Email delivery and acknowledgement. If the institution provides the notification to 

the prospective student or the third party by email, including by providing the prospective 

student or third party an electronic copy of the disclosure template, the institution must--

(i) Ensure that the notification is the only content in the email;
(ii) Send the notification using a different address or method of delivery if the institution 

receives a response that the email could not be delivered; and

(iii) Maintain records of its efforts to provide the notification. 

(f) Disclosure template. Within 30 days of receiving notice from the Secretary that the 

institution must provide a notification under this section, the institution must update the 

educational program’s disclosure template described in §668.412 to include the notification in 

paragraph (b) of this section or such other notification specified by the Secretary in a notice 

published in the Federal Register.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094, 1099c)

§668.411 [Reserved]

§668.412 Disclosure requirements. 

(a) Disclosure template. An institution must use the disclosure template provided by the 

Secretary to disclose information about each of its programs to enrolled and prospective 

students. The Secretary identifies the information that must be included in the template in a 

notice published in the Federal Register. That information may include, but is not limited to:

(1) The primary occupations (by name and SOC code) that the program prepares 

students to enter, along with links to occupational profiles on O*NET (www.onetonline.org) or 

its successor site.

(2) The program’s completion rates for full-time and less-than-full-time students and the 

program's withdrawal rates.

(3) The length of the program in calendar time (i.e., weeks, months, years).

(4) The number of clock or credit hours or equivalent, as applicable, in the program.
(5) The total number of individuals enrolled in the program during the most recently 

completed award year.

(6) The loan repayment rate for any one or all of the following groups of students who 

entered repayment on title IV loans during the two-year cohort period, to be calculated using a 

method specified by the Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register:

(i) All students who enrolled in the program.

(ii) Students who completed the program.

(iii) Students who withdrew from the program.

(7) The total cost of tuition and fees, and the total cost of books, supplies, and 

equipment, that a student would incur for completing the program within the length of the 

program.

(8) The placement rate for the program, if the institution is required by its accrediting 

agency or State to calculate a placement rate either for the program or the institution, or both, 

using the required methodology of that accrediting agency or State.

(9) Of the individuals enrolled in the program during the most recently completed award 

year, the percentage who received a title IV loan or a private loan for enrollment in the program.

(10) The median loan debt for any one or all of the following groups:

(i) Those students who completed the program during the most recently completed 

award year. 

(ii) Those students who withdrew from the program during the most recently completed 

award year.

(iii) All of the students described in paragraphs (a)(10)(i) and (ii) of this section.
(11) The mean or median earnings of students to be calculated using a method specified 

by the Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register

(12) As calculated by the Secretary under §668.404, the most recent annual earnings 

rate.

(13)(i) Whether the program does or does not satisfy--

(A) The applicable educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in 

each State within the institution's MSA; and

(B) The applicable educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in 

any other State for which the institution has made a determination regarding such requirements.

(ii) For any States not described in paragraph (a)(13)(i) of this section, a statement that 

the institution has not made a determination with respect to the licensure or certification 

requirements of those States.

(14) Whether the program is programmatically accredited and the name of the 

accrediting agency. 

(15) A link to the U.S. Department of Education's College Navigator website or its 

successor site, or other similar Federal resource.

(16) For programs preparing students for fields requiring licensure, a URL linking to any 

web page containing the State’s mandatory qualifications for licensure.

(17) A link to the institution’s page on the U.S. Department of Education’s College 

Scorecard or its successor site, or other similar Federal resource.

(b) Disclosure updates. (1) In accordance with procedures and timelines established by 

the Secretary, the institution must update at least annually the information contained in the 

disclosure template with the most recent data available for each of its educational programs.
(2) The institution must update the disclosure template to include any notification as 

required under §668.410(f).

(c) Program web pages. (1) On any web page containing academic, cost, financial aid, 

or admissions information about an educational program maintained by or on behalf of an 

institution, the institution must provide the disclosure template for that program or a prominent, 

readily accessible, clear, conspicuous, and direct link to the disclosure template for that program. 

(2) The Secretary may require the institution to modify a web page if it provides a link to 

the disclosure template and the link is not prominent, readily accessible, clear, conspicuous, and 

direct. 

(d) Promotional materials. (1) All promotional materials made available by or on behalf 

of an institution to prospective students that identify an educational program by name or 

otherwise promote the program must include--

(i) The disclosure template in a prominent manner; or

(ii) Where space or airtime constraints would preclude the inclusion of the disclosure 

template, the web address (URL) of, or the direct link to, the disclosure template, provided that 

the URL or link is prominent, readily accessible, clear, conspicuous, and direct and the 

institution identifies the URL or link as “Important Information about the educational debt, 

earnings, and completion rates of students who attended this program” or as otherwise specified 

by the Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register.

(2) Promotional materials include, but are not limited to, an institution's catalogs, 

invitations, flyers, billboards, and advertising on or through radio, television, print media, the 

internet, and social media.
(3) The institution must ensure that all promotional materials, including printed 

materials, about a program are accurate and current at the time they are published, approved by a 

State agency, or broadcast.

(e) [Reserved]

(f) Disclosure templates by program length or location. (1) An institution that offers a 

program in more than one program length must publish a separate disclosure template for each 

length of the program. The institution must ensure that each disclosure template clearly 

identifies the applicable length of the program.

(2) An institution that offers a program in more than one location may publish a separate 

disclosure template for each location if doing so would result in clearer disclosures under 

paragraph (a) of this section. An institution that chooses to publish separate disclosure templates 

for each location must ensure that each disclosure template clearly identifies the applicable 

location.

(3) If an institution publishes a separate disclosure template for each length or for each 

location of the program, the institution must disaggregate, by length of the program or location, 

those disclosures set forth in paragraphs (a)(4) and (5), (a)(7) through (9), and (a)(13) and as 

otherwise provided by the Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register. 

(g) Privacy considerations. An institution may not include on the disclosure template 

any of the disclosures described in paragraphs (a)(2), (a)(5), and (a)(6) or paragraphs (a)(8) 

through (12) of this section if they are based on fewer than 10 students.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088)

§668.413 [Reserved]
§668.414 Certification requirements for educational programs.

(a) Program participation agreement certification. If an institution offers a title IVeligible educational program that prepares students for employment in an occupation for which 

the State in which the institution is located or the Federal Government has requirements for

certification or licensure in that State, as a condition of the educational program’s continued 

participation in the title IV, HEA programs, an institution must—

(1) Certify in its program participation agreement with the Secretary under §668.14 that 

it meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; and

(2) Update the certification within 10 days if there are any changes in the approvals for a 

program, or other changes for a program that make an existing certification no longer accurate.

(b) Program eligibility certifications. For each educational program described in 

paragraph (a) of this section, an institution submits to the Secretary a certification signed by the 

institution’s chief executive officer, at the time and in the form specified by the Secretary, that--

(1) The program is approved by a recognized accrediting agency or is otherwise included 

in the institution's accreditation by its recognized accrediting agency, or, if the institution is a 

public postsecondary vocational institution, the program is approved by a recognized State 

agency for the approval of public postsecondary vocational education in lieu of accreditation;

(2) The program is programmatically accredited, if such accreditation is required by a 

Federal governmental entity or by a governmental entity in the State in which the institution is 

located or in which the institution is otherwise required to obtain State approval under 34 CFR 

600.9; and

(3) For the State in which the institution is located or in which the institution is otherwise 

required to obtain State approval under 34 CFR 600.9, the program satisfies any applicable 
educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification requirements in that State so 

that a student who completes the program and seeks employment in that State qualifies to take 

any licensure or certification exam that is needed for the student to practice or find employment 

in an occupation that the program prepares students to enter.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002, 1088, 1094, 1099c)