Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/07/26/2010-17845/program-integrity-gainful-employment
Timestamp: 2015-11-27 02:51:12
Document Index: 101114032

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', 'art 668', '§ 600', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', 'art 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', 'art 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668', '§ 668']

Federal Register | Program Integrity: Gainful Employment
Dates: We must receive your comments on or before September 9, 2010.
-43708 (94 pages)
Document Number: 2010-17845
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2010-17845 Related Topics
Program Integrity: Gainful Employment?New Programs 4 actions from July 26th, 2010 to July 1st, 2011
75 FR 43616
Part 668Student Assistance General Provisions
Gainful Employment in a Recognized Occupation (§ 668.7)
Provisional Certification (§ 668.13)
Hearing Official (§ 668.90(a))
Section 492 of the HEA requires the Secretary, before publishing any proposed regulations for programs authorized by title IV of the HEA, to obtain public involvement in the development of the proposed regulations. After obtaining advice and recommendations from the public, including individuals and representatives of groups involved in the Federal student financial assistance programs, the Secretary must subject the proposed regulations to a negotiated rulemaking process. All proposed regulations that the Department publishes on which the negotiators reached consensus must conform to final agreements resulting from that process unless the Secretary reopens the process or provides a written explanation to the participants stating why the Secretary has decided to depart from the agreements. Further information on the negotiated rulemaking process can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html.
The Department developed a list of proposed regulatory provisions, including provisions based on advice and recommendations submitted by individuals and organizations as testimony to the Department in a series of three public hearings held on the following dates:
In addition, the Department accepted written comments on possible regulatory provisions submitted directly to the Department by interested parties and organizations. A summary of all oral and written comments received is posted as background material in the docket for this NPRM. Transcripts of the regional meetings can be accessed at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2009/negreg-summerfall.html#ph.
The Department of Education Organization Act gives the Secretary broad responsibility to establish the regulatory requirements necessary for appropriately managing the Department and its programs. Additionally, under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), the Department has the responsibility to ensure that institutions of higher education, including for-profit institutions, meet minimum standards if they choose to participate in the title IV, HEA programs (Federal student aid programs). For the programs that would be subject to these proposed regulations, one of these minimum standards is that the programs must lead to gainful employment in a recognized occupation.
Debt service rates have a connection to whether borrowers will default on their loans. Borrowers with rates above the 8 percent threshold, for example, have a default rate of 10.2 percent, compared to a rate of 5.4 percent for those below the threshold.
Borrowers with debt rates above the 12 percent threshold, for example, have a default rate of 10.9 percent.
We group major issues according to subject, with appropriate sections of the proposed regulations referenced in parentheses. We discuss other substantive issues under the sections of the proposed regulations to which they pertain. Generally, we do not address proposed regulatory provisions that are technical or otherwise minor in effect. Part 668Student Assistance General Provisions Back to Top
The Department's current regulations in §§ 600.4(a)(4)(iii), 600.5(a)(5), and 600.6(a)(4) mirror the statutory provisions, and like the statute, do not define or further describe the meaning of the phrase “gainful employment.”
Debt Measures and Thresholds Back to Top
Under the loan repayment rate in proposed § 668.7(a), the relationship would be reasonable if students who attended the program (and are not in a military or in-school deferment status) repay their Federal loans at an aggregate rate of at least 45 percent. The rate would be based on the total amount of loans repaid divided by the original outstanding balance of all loans entering repayment in the prior four Federal fiscal years (FFY). A loan would be counted as being repaid if the borrower (1) made loan payments during the most recent fiscal year that reduced the outstanding principal balance, (2) made qualifying payments on the loan under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, as provided in 34 CFR 685.219(c), or (3) paid the loan in full. Other borrowers who are meeting their legal obligations but are not actively repaying their loans, such as those in deferment or forbearance, are not considered to be in repayment.
Institutional-Level Repayment Rates Back to Top
The number of institutions with very low loan repayment rates, particularly in the for-profit sector, is alarmingly high. Based on these data, we propose to allow a program with a loan repayment rate as low as 35 percent to remain eligible, but may restrict that eligibility. Under proposed § 668.7(a) and (e), an institution whose program is in a restricted status would have to provide annually documentation from employers not affiliated with the institution affirming that the curriculum of the program aligns with recognized occupations at those employers' businesses and that there are projected job vacancies or expected demand for those occupations at those businesses. Moreover, the Department would limit the enrollment of title IV aid recipients in that program to the average number enrolled during the prior three award years. While we believe that these restrictions are appropriate considering the poor performance of these programs, we seek comment on whether programs with a loan repayment rate of less than 45 percent but higher than 35 percent should be subject to the loss of title IV, HEA program funds.
For the debt-to-income measures in proposed § 668.7(a)(1)(ii) and (iii), the relationship would be reasonable if the annual loan payment (based on a 10-year repayment plan) of the typical student completing the program is 30 percent or less of discretionary income or 12 percent or less of average annual earnings. The measure would use the most current income available of the students who completed the program in the most recent three years (three-year period or 3YP). However, in cases where an institution could show that the earnings of students in a particular program increase substantially after an initial employment period, the measure would use the most current earnings of students who completed the program four, five, and six years prior to the most recent year (i.e., the prior three-year period or P3YP). When prior three-year data are used, the relationship would be reasonable if the annual loan payment is less than 20 percent of discretionary income or less than 8 percent of average annual earnings.
Loan repayments that outweigh the benefits of the education and training are an inefficient use of the borrower's resources. If a student makes that choice fully informed and using his or her own funds, it is not a matter for public policy. But if the availability of Federal student aid increases the likelihood that a student will enroll at an institution of higher education, the Federal Government should consider ways to ensure that student borrowers are not unduly burdened, even if they would eventually repay the loans. This concern motivates the debt-to-income ratio, a measure of the potential individual burden incurred by taking out loans, to ensure that students on an individual basis benefit from the receipt of Federal funds.
At all types of institutions, student debt is growing and will cause more students to allocate more of their future income toward repayment, whether through larger or longer payments. (See Tables A-1 and A-2 of Appendix A for additional details). Student loan data show that this problem is particularly problematic at for-profit institutions. For certificate, associate's degree, and bachelor's degree programs, debt levels are highest at for-profit institutions.
For example, in 2007-08:
Calculating the Loan Repayment Rate Back to Top
Under proposed § 668.7(b), the Department would calculate the loan repayment rate annually using the ratio:
RPL (reduced principal loan) would be calculated using loans where borrower payments during the most recently completed FFY reduced the outstanding principal balance of that loan in that year. RPL would also include loans for borrowers whose payments and employment during that FFY qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program under 34 CFR 685.219(c). The OOPB of RPL in the numerator of the ratio would be the total amount of the OOPB for these loans.
Calculating the Debt-to-Income Measures Back to Top
Under proposed § 668.7(c), the Department would calculate annually the debt-to-income measures for each program to determine whether the annual loan payment is less than the discretionary (30 and 20 percent) and earnings (12 and 8 percent) thresholds using the following formulas:
Under proposed § 668.7(a), a program would meet the gainful employment standard if the annual loan payment of its students is 30 percent or less of discretionary income or 12 percent or less of average annual earnings of its students. Discretionary income would be defined as the difference between average annual income and 150 percent of the most current Poverty Guideline for a single person in the continental United States (available at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty). We specifically seek comment on whether the 30 percent threshold for the first three years of employment is appropriately rigorous or whether the Department should consider using the 20 percent of discretionary income or 8 percent of average annual earnings to define programs as ineligible. The less restrictive standard is used here because, as a general matter, the Department would be assessing the programs during a borrower's first three years after leaving the postsecondary education institution. In any case, however, where the prior three-year period is used, the annual loan payment would have to be less than 20 percent of discretionary income or less than 8 percent of average annual earnings.
Consequences of Meeting or Not Meeting the Thresholds; Timelines; Transition Back to Top
Effective July 1, 2012, under proposed § 668.7(d), an institution would be required to alert prospective and currently enrolled students they may have difficulty in repaying their loans under certain circumstances. The institution would have to provide a prominent warning in its promotional, enrollment, registration, and other materials, including those on its Web site, and to prospective students when conducting person-to-person recruiting activities. The institution must also provide the most recent debt-to-income ratios and the loan repayment rate for that program. An institution must provide the warning if the program's repayment rate is less that 45 percent and, using 3YP and, if applicable, P3YP, the debt-to-income ratio is greater than 8 percent of average annual earnings or 20 percent of discretionary income.
Under proposed § 668.7(a) and (e), the Department would place a program on a restricted status if the program's repayment rate is less than 45 percent and the program's annual loan payment is more than 20 percent of discretionary income and more than 8 percent of average annual income. For a restricted program, the institution would be required to work with employers to assure that the training program is meeting their needs, and limit new students enrollments in that program to the average enrollment level for the prior three years. These restrictions are intended to encourage an institution to improve the program to better meet the needs of students and the relevant employers identified by the institution.
Moreover, under proposed § 668.7(a) and (f), if the program does not satisfy at least one of the debt thresholds in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, effective July 1, 2012, it would not meet the gainful employment standard. The Department would notify the institution of the program's ineligibility, and new students attending the program would not qualify for title IV, HEA program funds. However, an institution would be allowed to disburse title IV, HEA program funds to current students who began attending the program before it became ineligible for the remainder of the award year and for the award year following the date of the Department's notice.
For the award year beginning on July 1, 2012, a program could fail to meet one of the measures but still remain eligible. For this transition year, the Department would cap the number of programs declared ineligible to the lowest-performing programs producing no more than five percent of completers during the prior award year, eliminating the risk of large and immediate displacement of students. Specifically, under proposed § 668.7(f)(2), the Department would determine which programs would fall within the five percent cap by:
(1) Sorting all programs subject to this section by category based solely on the credential awarded as determined by the Department (e.g., certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, and graduate and professional degree) and then within each category, by loan repayment rate, from lowest rate to highest rate.
Additional Programs Back to Top
Under proposed § 668.7(g), before an institution could offer a new program that is eligible for title IV aid, it would apply to have the program approved by the Department. As part of its application, the institution would need to provide (1) the projected enrollment for the program for the next five years for each location of the institution that will offer the additional program, (2) documentation from employers not affiliated with the institution that the program's curriculum aligns with recognized occupations at those employers' businesses, and that there are projected job vacancies or expected demand for those occupations at those businesses, and (3) if the additional program constitutes a substantive change, documentation of the approval of the substantive change from its accrediting agency.
In determining whether to approve the new program, under proposed § 668.7(g)(2), the Department could restrict the approval for an initial period based on the institution's enrollment projections and demonstrated ability to offer programs that lead to gainful employment.
If the new program constitutes a substantive change based solely on program content, it would be subject to the gainful employment measures as soon as data on the loan repayment rate and debt measures are available. Otherwise, the loan repayment rate and debt measures for the new program would be based, in part, on loan data from the institution's other programs currently or previously offered that are in the same job family. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes a job family as a group of occupations based on work performed, skills, education, training, and credentials and identifies the SOC code (Standard Occupational Classification code) for each occupation in a job family at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.
Provisional Certification (§ 668.13) Back to Top
The Department's current regulations in § 668.13(c) identify the conditions or reasons for which the Department may provisionally certify an institution. We are proposing to amend § 668.13(c)(1) to provide that the Department may provisionally certify an institution if one or more of its programs becomes restricted or ineligible under the gainful employment provisions in proposed § 668.7. The Department believes that provisional certification may be warranted in cases where an institution fails to take the actions necessary to keep its programs in compliance with the gainful employment provisions in § 668.7. This failure would be one factor considered by the Department when reviewing an institution's application for recertification of its program participation agreement.
Hearing Official (§ 668.90(a)) Back to Top
Current § 668.90(a)(3) sets forth the limitations on the matters that may be considered, or limitations on decisions that may be rendered by hearing officials in proceedings arising under subpart G of part 668. Under proposed § 668.90(a)(3)(vii), in a termination action against a program for not meeting the standards for gainful employment in § 668.7(a), the hearing official would accept as accurate the average annual earnings calculated by another Federal agency, so long as the other Federal agency provided that calculation for the list of program completers identified by the institution and accepted by the Department. The hearing official may consider evidence from an institution about earnings from its graduates to establish a different average annual earnings amount to be used with the debt measure, so long as that information is for the same individuals and determined to be reliable by the hearing official.
During the negotiated rulemaking sessions, some non-Federal negotiators highlighted the difficulty that institutions could encounter in obtaining earnings information from students who completed their programs. During these meetings, a separate proposal was discussed to use wage information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to represent earnings for program graduates. Some of the negotiators voiced concerns that the reported salaries might not be representative for a number of reasons such as regional variations and job classifications and that self-employed individuals might not be included in the BLS wage records, (although other information suggested that this information was included). Nevertheless, the Department is proposing to obtain average annual earnings by program from another Federal agency, using actual wage information maintained by that Federal agency for a program's students. This information is and will be the best information available but, to preserve the confidentiality of individuals that may or may not have received a Federal benefit, neither the Department nor the institution will be able to review the wage information for specific program graduates. The Department and the institution will, however, be able to ensure that the data includes only those program completers that were included in the information provided by the institution under the notice of proposed rulemaking published by the Department on June 18, 2010.
Proposed § 668.7 contains information collection requirements. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507(d)), the Department has submitted a copy of this section to OMB for its review.
As proposed in § 668.7(a)(3)(viii), in accordance with procedures established by the Department for the purposes of calculating the loan repayment rate under § 668.7(b), an institution must report the CIP codes for all students who attended a program at the institution whose FFEL or Direct Loan entered repayment in the prior four FFYs. As indicated earlier, there has been tremendous growth in occupational programs between 2000 and 2008, averaging 200,000 new students per year. Based upon data from our institutional eligibility and program participation unit within Federal Student Aid, the Department estimates the following number of affected institutions that offer programs that currently prepare students for gainful employment in recognized occupations. The Department estimates there are 2,086 proprietary institutions with occupational programs, there are 238 private, non-profit institutions with occupational programs, and there are 2,139 public institutions with occupational programs.
As proposed in § 668.7(c)(3)(i) and (ii), the Secretary determines annually for each program whether the annual loan payment is less than the discretionary income and the earnings thresholds in § 668.7(a). For annual earnings, the Secretary uses the most currently available actual, average annual earnings obtained from a Federal agency, of the students who completed the program during the 3YP and, if the data are available, during the P3YP. P3YP data are used if, in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary, the institution shows that students completing the program typically experience a significant increase in earnings after an initial employment period and the institution explains the basis for that earnings pattern. For each of the P3YP student completers, the institution is required to provide the Secretary with the following information; the program CIP code, the student's completion date, the amount of private educational loans that the student received, and the amount of debt incurred from institutional financing plans.
We estimate that 89 percent of the private nonprofit institutions would meet the loan repayment rate of 45 percent; therefore 11 percent of the 238 private nonprofit institutions with programs that prepare students for gainful employment or 26 institutions would have a loan repayment rate less than 45 percent. Under the proposed regulations, the debt measure as calculated by the Department would be used to determine if a program would be eligible and unrestricted, or to what extent restrictions would apply. We estimate that 95 percent of the 26 private nonprofit institutions would pass the initial 3YP debt measure and therefore, 5 percent (.05 times 26 institutions equal 1 institution) would not pass the initial 3YP debt measure. Of the remaining 1 institution that would not pass the initial 3YP debt measure, we estimate that this institution would explain the increase in earnings after the initial employment period and submit the alternative debt threshold data. We estimate that this institution would pass the P3YP threshold of the annual loan payment not exceeding 20 percent of discretionary income, or 8 percent of average annual earnings. We estimate that the submission of the explanation of increased earnings and the P3YP information (to include for each student that completed the program: The CIP code of the program, the completion date, the amount of private educational loans, and the amount of debt incurred from institutional financing plans), to average 10 hours per private nonprofit institution for a total of 10 hours of burden in OMB 1845-NEW4.
Collectively, under proposed § 668.7(c)(3), we estimate the burden for institutions to explain the increase in earnings after the initial 3YP and the submission of data on students that completed the program during the P3YP would result in a burden of 2,980 hours.
Under proposed § 668.7(d), on or after July 1, 2012, unless the program has a loan repayment rate of at least 45 percent or an annual loan payment that is at least 20 percent of discretionary income or 8 percent of average annual income, the Department would notify the institution that it must include a prominent warning in its promotional, enrollment, registration, and other materials describing the program, including those on its Web site, designed and intended to alert prospective and currently enrolled students they may have difficulty repaying loans obtained for attending that program.
Collectively, under proposed § 668.7(d), we estimate that burden for institutions to meet these proposed disclosure requirements in accordance with procedures established by the Department would increase by 298 hours in OMB Control Number 1845-NEW4.
Under proposed § 668.7(e), a restricted program would be required to report to the Department additional information annually. The additional information would include documentation from employers not affiliated with the institution, affirming that the curriculum of the program aligns with recognized occupations at those employers' businesses. The number and locations of the businesses, as well as the number of projected job vacancies at those businesses must be commensurate with the anticipated size of the programs.
We estimate that 22.7 percent of the proprietary institutions will be subject to the proposed requirements of the restricted status (.227 times 2,086 proprietary institutions that have programs that prepare students for gainful employment equal 474 affected institutions). We estimate that on average, each institution would take 11 hours to obtain the independent employer affirmations as proposed for submission to the Department. These institutions would already be required to provide a debt warning disclosure, so there is no additional burden associated with that requirement in this section. Therefore, we estimate an increase in burden of 5,214 hours (474 affected institutions times 11 hours equal 5,214 hours).
Collectively, under proposed § 668.7(e), we estimate that burden would increase by 8,382 hours in OMB 1845-NEW4.
Under proposed § 668.7(f), the Department would notify an institution whenever one or more of its programs become ineligible. During the initial year of implementation as proposed, for the award year beginning July 1, 2012, the number of ineligible programs would be limited to five percent. The Department estimates that there would be 3,000 programs in the ineligible category initially. Five percent of the 3,000 ineligible program or 450 programs would not be able to award title IV, HEA program assistance to new students after the notification date. The other 2,550 ineligible programs would be subject to additional reporting requirements including providing employer affirmations under § 668.7(g)(1)(iii) and providing the debt warning disclosures under § 668.7(d).
In total, under proposed § 668.7(f), the Department estimates that burden would increase by 30,600 hours in OMB 1845-NEW4.
Under proposed § 668.7(g), before an institution can offer an additional program, the institution would have to apply to the Department by providing documentation of the approval of the substantive change by its accrediting agency, providing projected five year enrollment estimates, as well as, obtaining documentation from employers not affiliated with the institution, that the program curriculum aligns with recognized occupations at those employers' businesses, the number and locations of the businesses, and that the projected number of job vacancies are commensurate with the anticipated size of the program. We estimate that during the initial three year period there will be 650 submissions of additional programs for which institutions would submit to the Department this information. We estimate that, of the 4,463 institutions with programs that prepare student for gainful employment in a recognized occupation, 47 percent are in the proprietary sector, 5 percent are in the private nonprofit sector, and 48 percent are in the public sector.
Collectively, under § 668.7(g), we estimate that the increase in burden to institutions would be 8,450 hours in OMB Control 1845-NEW4. Collection of Information Back to Top
668.7(a)(3)(viii)
As proposed in § 668.7(a)(3)(viii), in accordance with procedures established by the Department for the purposes of calculating the loan repayment rate under paragraph (b) of this section, an institution must report the CIP codes for all students who attended a program at the institution whose FFEL or Direct Loan entered repayment in the prior four FFYs
OMB 1845-NEW4. This collection would be a new collection. The burden increases by 40,666 hours.
668.7(c)(3)
The Department uses the current earnings of the student who completed the program during the prior 3-year period if, in accordance with procedures established by the Department, the institution shows that students completing the program typically experience a significant increase in earnings after an initial employment period. The institution also provides the information to the Department needed to calculate the annual debt measures under this section, including the CIP codes, the completion date, the amount received in private loans or institutional financing for attendance in the program and the amount of debt incurred from institutional financing plans for each graduate for the prior three-year period
OMB 1845-NEW4. This collection would be a new collection. The burden increases by 2,980 hours.
668.7(d)
On or after July 1, 2012, if a program exceeds the debt threshold, the Department notifies the institution that it must include a prominent warning in its promotional, enrollment, registration, and other materials describing the program, including those on its Web site, designed and intended to alert prospective and currently enrolled students that they may have difficulty repaying loans obtained for attending that program
OMB 1845-NEW4. This collection would be a new collection. The burden increases by 298 hours.
668.7(e)
Restricted programs as defined in proposed 668.7(e) are required annually to report employer affirmations specified in paragraph (g)(1)(iii) of this section
OMB 1845-NEW4. This collection would be a new collection. The burden increases by 8,382 hours.
668.7(f)
On or after July 1, 2012 a program becomes ineligible if it does not meet at least one of the debt thresholds in § 668.7(a)(1). During the initial year, 95 percent of the ineligible programs may continue to participate in the title IV, HEA programs if the institution submits employer affirmations consistent with the requirements in proposed § 668.7(g)(1)(iii) and provides the debt warning disclosures in proposed § 668.7(d)
OMB 1845-NEW4. This collection would be a new collection. The burden increases by 30,600 hours.
668.7(g)
Before an institution offers an additional program that is subject to the requirements of this section, the institution must apply to the Department and also provide documentation of the approval of the substantive change by its accrediting agency, projected enrollment for the next five years for each location of the institution that will offer the additional program, and documentation from employers not affiliated with the institution affirming the curriculum of the additional program aligns with recognized occupations at those employers' businesses
OMB 1845-NEW4. This collection would be a new collection. The burden increases by 8,450 hours.
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List of Subjects in 34 CFR Part 668 Back to Top
§ 668.7 Gainful employment in a recognized occupation.
(i) A program refers to any educational program offered by the institution under § 668.8(c)(3) or (d);
(vi) Discretionary income is the difference between average annual earnings and 150 percent of the most current Poverty Guideline for a single person in the continental U.S. The Poverty Guidelines are published annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and are available at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty;
(i) The OOPB of borrowers on an in-school deferment or a military-related deferment status. (ii) The OOPB of borrowers entering repayment after March 31 of the most recent FFY.
(iii) Documentation from employers not affiliated with the institution affirming that the curriculum of the additional program aligns with recognized occupations at those employers' businesses, and that there are projected job vacancies or expected demand for those occupations at those businesses. The number and locations of the businesses for which affirmation is required must be commensurate with the anticipated size of the program.
(i) Calculates the loan repayment rate under paragraph (b) of this section by using loan data from the additional program and, for the first three years, loan data from all other programs currently or previously offered by the institution that are in the same job family as the additional program. Any loans from the programs in the same job family that enter repayment after the third year that the loan repayment rate is calculated for the additional program, are not included in that program's loan repayment rate. As described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a job family is a group of occupations based on work performed, skills, education, training, and credentials. Occupations are grouped by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes. Information about job families and SOC codes is available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm, or http://online.onetcenter.org/find/family; and
§ 668.13 Certification procedures.
(1) Are subject to the eligibility limitations under the gainful employment provisions in § 668.7(e); or
(2) Become ineligible under the gainful employment provisions in § 668.7(f).
4. Section § 668.90 is amended by:
§ 668.90 Initial and final decisions.
(vii) In a termination action against a program based on the grounds that the program does not meet the standards for gainful employment in § 668.7(a), the hearing official accepts as accurate the average annual earnings calculated by another Federal agency, so long as the other Federal agency provided that calculation for the list of program completers identified by the institution and accepted by the Department. The hearing official may consider evidence from an institution about earnings from its graduates to establish a different amount for the average annual earnings of the program graduates, so long as that information is for the same individuals and determined to be reliable.
Appendix A—Regulatory Impact Analysis Back to Top