Forbes
Lisa Chambers
October 16, 2026
Law that restricts federal student loans would affect just 0.8% of those attending public colleges, but 14% of students at for-profit schools, new analysis finds.
A new rule, required by Republicans’ 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, seemed to threaten federal aid, including Pell Grants and student loans, for all sorts of post high-school studies. The “accountability” provision is designed to cut off programs whose graduates don’t out-earn people with only a high school diploma. But a new analysis suggests that almost all bachelor’s degree programs should pass the test. The programs most in danger are primarily for-profit courses, not (as some feared) art or philosophy majors.