Industry Under Threat from Proposed Regulations Now Being Considered by US Department of Education
Gary Kelly
May 5, 2026
A new rule under consideration by the U.S. Department of Education would prevent students at 92% of the beauty & wellness programs in the USA from accessing federal student aid. This will have a drastically negative impact on students who pursue professions in cosmetology, which include hairstylists, barbers, manicurists, and skincare providers, as well as in the wellness sector, which includes massage therapists. This proposed rule would effectively eliminate career-building, post-secondary educational opportunities for these students and have a long-term negative impact on small businesses throughout the country.
The Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) committee process stems from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act passed by Congress. One component of the Act is designed to keep colleges and universities that offer degree programs or graduate-level certificates accountable to the American people. Undergraduate certificate programs were not included in the OBBB Act, and yet, the U.S. Department of Education is also applying the rule to beauty and wellness related certificate programs. This provision of the Act, the “Do No Harm” provision, in fact actually harms America’s working-class students who aspire to pursue careers in these fields.
