The gainful employment (GE) rule aims to hold career-focused training programs accountable for student outcomes. The rule includes an earnings threshold that requires programs to result in graduates' earnings being at least as high as earnings of a typical high school graduate in their state. The GE rule's focus on postcompletion earnings does not…

With the cost of college soaring and the national six-year completion rate below 60 percent, the federal government's support for higher education is facing heightened scrutiny. What kind of regulation and accountability should Congress impose on what might be termed the world's largest voucher program--Washington's hefty funding of Pell grants…

Kevin Carey, vice president for education policy and knowledge management at New America, notes that lawmakers charged with writing a new Higher Education Act (HEA) face a dilemma. Innovation in the higher-ed marketplace is badly needed to improve student learning and break the relentless cycle of increasing cost that puts college out of reach for…

The purpose of this analysis is to compare current guidelines of the American Bar Association (ABA) for law schools to those of the U.S. Department of Education's Gainful Employment-Debt Measures regulations in order to assess their transparency and accountability. This analysis is relevant in a time of increasing tuition costs and record…

This document contains a semiannual report on the activities of the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the 6-month period ending March 31, 1996. It highlights the Office's significant accomplishments and activities, including: (1) a series of audit reports to aid reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act; (2)…

Department of Education regulations and initiatives designed to address problems of fraud, abuse, and loan default in federal student aid programs are examined. The scope and intrusiveness of some recent regulations are criticized, and unintended effects are noted, including increased administrative burdens on all institutions. (Author/MSE)

Concerns have been raised about the Department of Education's (Education) role in overseeing the lenders and schools that participate in the largest of the federal government's student loan programs, the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). GAO was asked to analyze Education's use of its oversight, guidance, and enforcement authorities…

An audit guide to assist independent public accountants in performing audits of federal student financial assistance (SFA) programs is presented. The audit assists the Department of Education in determining whether a recipient has (1) provided financial data, including basic financial statements and other financial reports; (2) maintained a system…

The management and operations of federal student assistance programs are addressed in hearings before the Committee on Education and Labor. In fiscal year 1981, the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Education (ED) issued 4,811 audit reports on postsecondary education programs. Costs disallowed or questioned amounted to $25.3…

The effectiveness and efficiency of procedures employed by the federal government and participating education institutions to operate and manage the campus based and Basic Educational Opportunity Grant assistance programs are evaluated. Information was obtained by mail surveys of 756 colleges and universities. An overview is presented of the…

Extensive workshop materials are presented in this 1997 training guide for fiscal officers, business officers, bursars, loan managers, and others who have responsibility for Title IV college student financial aid programs. Workbook type material is provided for nine workshop sessions that cover the following topics: (1) Institutional…