Dive Brief:

• The federal government is three months away from putting new gainful employment standards in place that would regulate vocational program operators based on graduate success in the job market.
• Inside Higher Ed reports that for-profit colleges are fighting the rule in court and multiple ongoing lawsuits could stop implementation, just like they did in 2010 with an earlier iteration of the same initiative.
• The regulation would apply to community college vocational certificate programs and all vocational programs at for-profit colleges, degree-bearing or not, according to the article.

Dive Insight:

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said that virtually all for-profit colleges would not meet standards when it comes to job placement rates for their graduates. The gainful employment regulation is a direct assault on the industry that many argue is a needed check. For-profit colleges have faced exceedingly harsh criticism for taking tuition dollars from students and leaving them underprepared for their chosen fields. This piece of regulation would require all for-profit schools to report job placement rates and make them public for prospective students. Current reporting is minimal and there is very little oversight about accuracy. The rules are slated to take effect July 15.