美国教育部推出了一项新的问责测试，规定高校必须证明其毕业生的收入高于未接受高等教育的人群，否则将面临被切断联邦学生贷款资格的处罚 [1]。该政策旨在解决大学成本与价值问题，但引发了关于仅以薪资衡量教育成功与否的争议，特别是可能危及艺术等低薪专业的生存 [1]。
根据新规标准，本科项目的毕业生年收入需高于未上大学者；研究生项目毕业生的收入则需高于仅有学士学位者 [1]。许多州本科毕业生年薪最低需达到约 30,000 至 41,000 美元才能通过测试 [1]。教育副部长 Nicholas Kent 表示：“如果一个项目无法证明其让毕业生在经济上比未入学时更好，就不应由联邦纳税人资助。”[1]
若项目在连续两年内不达标，将被认定为低收入结果项目并失去相关资格 [1]。教育部将于 2027 年初开始计算首批毕业生的收入数据，部分项目可能在 2028-2029 学年被正式认定 [1]。预计超过 80 万学生就读于可能失败的项目中 [1]。其中，约 18% 的本科证书项目（如美容、身体工作）和 6% 的副学士学位项目面临高风险；传统四年制本科项目中仅约 1% 存在失败风险，但音乐、戏剧等专业因薪资特点风险较高 [1]。
The U.S. Department of Education has introduced a new accountability test requiring institutions to demonstrate that their graduates earn more than non-graduates, warning that failure could result in the loss of eligibility for federal student loans [1]. This policy aims to address issues regarding college costs versus value but has sparked controversy over whether salary alone should measure educational success and if it threatens low-paying majors such as the arts [1]. Under the new standards, undergraduate programs must show graduates earn more than those who do not attend college, while graduate programs must prove their students out-earn peers with only a bachelor's degree [1]. Programs that fail to meet these benchmarks for two consecutive years will face disqualification from federal student loan funding [1]. To pass the test, many state undergraduate programs require starting annual salaries of approximately $30,000 to $41,000 [1]. The Department plans to begin calculating income data on its first cohort of graduates in early 2027, with some projects potentially being designated as low-income outcome programs during the 2028-2029 academic year [1]. Approximately 800,000 students are currently enrolled in programs at risk of failing under this new metric [1]. About 18% of undergraduate certificate programs—such as those for cosmetology and bodywork—and 6% of associate degree programs face high risks of failure [1]. While only about 1% of traditional four-year bachelor's degrees are expected to fail, majors in music and theater carry higher risk profiles [1]. Nicholas Kent, the Deputy Secretary of Education, stated: "If a program cannot prove it leaves graduates economically better off than if they had not enrolled, then federal taxpayers should not fund it" [1].