Federal rules and state model bills are converging to reshape career education, program accountability, and faculty research oversight. New gainful‑employment and financial‑value‑transparency rules require programs to show they raise graduates’ earnings relative to high‑school completers; failing programs risk loss of federal aid. At the same time, right‑leaning groups released model legislation to increase oversight of faculty research outside STEM and to tighten teaching loads and hiring approvals. > The policy mix raises stakes for community colleges, proprietary providers, and departments in the humanities and social sciences. Advocates for students say earnings‑focused rules protect borrowers; critics argue they risk narrowing academic inquiry and reducing faculty autonomy. > Institutional leaders must prepare compliance plans, rework curricular and assessment models to demonstrate labor‑market value, and engage trustees and lawmakers to shape pragmatic accountability measures that preserve academic pluralism.