Negotiators on the Department of Education’s AHEAD Committee reached consensus on a regulatory package that would require an earnings‑based accountability test across all Title IV‑eligible postsecondary programs. Under the proposal, programs that fail to demonstrate graduate earnings above statutory benchmarks could lose access to federal loans and Title IV aid. The change extends earlier gainful‑employment style measures to a wider swath of institution types and degree levels and ties directly to the accountability provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. At the same time, accrediting bodies are rapidly evolving: new accreditors are emerging and existing agencies are testing institutions on stricter federal compliance metrics. Boards and institutional leaders will need to integrate new earnings reporting, monitor program‑level outcomes, and retool financial aid and academic strategies to retain federal eligibility.