The U.S. Department of Education published for public comment a new degree-level accountability metric under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act framework. The proposed rules would test whether each program produces earnings outcomes that exceed a high-school-only benchmark for working adults and could limit federal student aid access for programs that miss the target repeatedly. Under the draft, undergraduate programs would be assessed against earnings of a working adult with only a high school degree, while graduate programs would compare outcomes to bachelor’s degree holders. Programs failing the metric for two of three consecutive years could lose access to federal student loans; in some circumstances, the proposal also contemplates impacts on Pell Grant eligibility. The metric is slated to take effect July 1, but must first complete a 30-day public comment period and the department’s required responses to every submission. Officials described the initiative as a “once-in-a-generation” effort to address student debt by reining in programs deemed unsustainable and by reducing regulatory inconsistency. The department also noted that the metric’s design was previously debated by a committee of policy experts, college administrators, student advocates, and state executive officers, and revised to address pushback—setting the stage for additional scrutiny as campuses and higher-ed stakeholders review the threshold calculations and due-process mechanics.