Negotiators on the Department of Education’s AHEAD committee reached consensus on a regulatory package that would apply an earnings test to every Title IV‑eligible program. Under the proposal, programs must show graduates earn above defined thresholds or risk losing eligibility for federal student loans and other federal aid. The package, developed to implement accountability provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, raises the bar by comparing program median earnings to benchmarks tied to workers with a high‑school diploma (for undergrad programs) and to bachelor’s‑degree earnings (for graduate programs). The change would extend an outcomes metric historically applied to proprietary and certificate programs to the full higher‑education universe. Boards, provosts, and program directors will face quick compliance and disclosure demands; failure could mean program‑level loss of federal aid, triggering enrollment, accreditation and financial stress. Clarification: an "earnings test" measures median graduate earnings relative to statutory peer thresholds rather than simply tracking employment rates.