Trump bans student loans for low-earning degrees
Education Department finalizes rule denying federal aid to degrees in social work, arts, and humanities that don't match high school grad earnings.
What to know
- The Education Department's rule blocks federal loans for degrees in social work, arts, music, and religious studies if graduates earn less than high school diploma holders within four years.
- The policy uses IRS salary data compared to age-matched baselines to determine loan eligibility, with for-profit and humanities programs hit hardest.
- Critics argue earnings-based eligibility punishes socially essential work; supporters call it accountability for educational outcomes.
The dispute Whether earnings four years post-graduation should determine loan access, or whether educational mission and social value override financial metrics. · positions read across 4 posts and comments
Earnings-based loan eligibility is ideologically driven and dismisses work that matters despite lower pay.
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“Such a lack of imagination. He seems to think any act of curiosity and wonder is anti American.”
duckstrap · Reddit ↗
The rule correctly ties federal investment to measurable outcomes and financial viability.
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“It's about money. Let's say Ohio, if the college is nationalized. Ohio need to beg federal government for funding their majors that may seems unnecessary.”
Appropriate_Chain646 · Reddit ↗
President Trump Administration headTed Mitchell American Council on EducationGregory Baylor Senior counsel, Alliance Defending FreedomJonathan Gienapp Stanford professorEducation Department Federal agency implementing rule
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
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Policy spreads across social media
News of the student loan rule reaches broader social platforms. Unusual Whales posts breaking news on X that Trump is banning students from low-earning degree majors from taking federal loans.
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first by The Post Millennial, 15h ago
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BREAKING: President Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loan, per the New Republic
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Education leaders and scholars criticize earnings-based loan eligibility
Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education and Stanford professor Jonathan Gienapp voice concerns that earnings potential does not reflect educational mission or social value. Gregory Baylor of Alliance Defending Freedom argues the government shouldn't punish socially valuable callings based on salary.
“The government shouldn't punish people who pursue socially valuable callings just because in its judgment they don't earn enough money.”
— Gregory Baylor -
It's about money. Let's say Ohio, if the college is nationalized. Ohio need to beg federal government for funding their majors that may seems unnecessary, I imaging stem majors. Fed can always say, you just need an agricultural school, let other students go to California. But now, Ohio can fund their own schools with their own planning.
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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Such a lack of imagination. He seems to think any act of curiosity and wonder is anti American. Another example of his base stupidity.
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background
Education Department finalizes student loan earnings rule — The Los Angeles Times reports that the Education Department has finalized a rule requiring schools to prove student loans are paying off. Degrees in social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, music, and cosmetic certification will be hit hardest. The rule uses IRS data comparing graduates' salaries four years after graduation to age-matched high school diploma earners.