The Department of Education issued guidance urging colleges to reduce student‑loan default rates and warned that failing schools risk losing access to federal student aid as upcoming federal borrower‑support changes take effect this summer. The department framed the guidance as ‘best practices,’ but institutions and advocates say the move signals increased regulatory pressure ahead of new rules that could tighten institutions’ accountability for borrowers’ outcomes (The Hill/University Business). At the same time, federal and state policy moves are threatening program lines: Congress has signaled an earnings‑based test for program eligibility and some states are already acting. Indiana lawmakers are proposing to eliminate degrees deemed low‑earning—an approach that would go further than the federal plan and could force institutions to close or retool programs that do not meet new workforce thresholds (Inside Higher Ed). Together these developments tighten the funding leash on academic programs and heighten the stakes for colleges that rely on federal aid and state support.