Gainful Employment Rule

The Gainful Employment Rule is a regulation aimed at ensuring education programs, particularly at for-profit colleges, provide graduates with a reasonable chance of securing well-paying jobs. It measures whether these programs lead to good employment outcomes based on graduates' earnings compared to their student debt. If a program fails to meet certain criteria, it may lose federal funding, which is crucial for many students to afford their education. This rule helps protect students from taking on debt for programs that do not lead to viable career opportunities.