Betsy DeVos Cuts Obama-Era Regulations on For-Profit Colleges
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On Friday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos formally announced a move that would cut an Obama-era regulation requiring for-profit colleges to provide proof that their students obtain decent-paying jobs after graduation. The decision was announced on the Education Department’s website and the regulation is expected to be completely eliminated by July 1, 2019.
The “gainful employment” regulation was put in place by the Obama administration to crackdown on for-profit education companies. The goal was to ensure that students who graduated from a for-profit college could obtain a job and earn enough money to repay their student loans. Basically, it helped students find a job and get out of debt. However, Republicans have consistently claimed the bill is unfair and that it places a burden on colleges.
DeVos had a pretty solid argument when announcing her plan to slash gainful employment: She claimed that the Education Department will now provide more information about every college and higher education institution in the nation on the College Scorecard website. However, the Scorecard website is not required by law or regulation, meanng the Trump administration can simply cut gainful employment and never carry out their promise to expand the Scorecard website.