The Department of Education has proposed a new accountability system called the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability rule, which would judge higher-education programs largely by graduates' earnings. Under the proposed guidelines, programs whose graduates fail to exceed the median salary of workers aged 25 to 35 with a bachelor's degree in two out of three years could lose eligibility for federal student loans, including Direct Loans and Pell Grants. A preliminary analysis suggests that many prestigious programs, including Yale University's master's programs in visual arts and music, Harvard University's museum studies program, and Juilliard's music programs, would fail the updated earnings test.
This matters because the rule could decimate arts education by threatening the viability of smaller academic departments and schools reliant on programs deemed 'low-performing' by earnings metrics. Critics, including the Association of American Universities (AAU), argue that the framework does not provide a fair measure of success for creative professionals, whose graduates produce substantial public value that wage data alone cannot capture. The proposal has drawn nearly 8,800 public comments and faces a July deadline for finalization, with significant implications for the future of visual arts, music, and filmmaking programs across the country.