The new Financial Value Transparency (FVT) and Gainful Employment (GE) regulations are rolling forward, even after several deadline extensions. Schools are tired of hearing about them, but they can’t ignore them either.
The good news?
You’re in a better position than you think, and there’s still time to turn GE from a looming threat into a strategic advantage.
What’s Coming in 2026: A Quick Snapshot of GE/FVT
The new rules introduce two major program-level tests:
- Debt-to-Earnings (D/E): Are graduates earning enough to reasonably repay their debt?
- Earnings Premium (EP): Do graduates earn more than typical workers in the same state with only a high-school diploma?
If programs repeatedly fail both, they could eventually lose access to Title IV federal aid. On top of that, FVT means public reporting of program-level outcomes (cost, debt, completion, earnings).
2026 is often referenced as the “convergence year” because:
- Public data begins to roll out
- Institutions will need to show strong outcomes or face required student disclosures
- Employers, regulators and consumers will all have more transparency
For this reason, schools should treat 2025–26 not just as compliance, but as opportunity.
The Upside: Your Programs May Be More Resilient Than The Headlines Suggest
Despite layoffs, AI disruption, and political chaos, the demand for “purpose fields” and hands-on careers is incredibly strong.
Why purpose fields win
Someone’s always going to want their hair done. Someone’s always going to need their air-conditioner fixed… You’ll always need to go to the doctor or dentist.
These roles have three strong attributes:
- Hard or impossible to automate completely
- Local/regional anchor (rather than purely remote/global)
- Tied to stable demand (aging population, repair/maintenance, service economy)
Forbes’ look at 2026 workplace trends echoes this, as AI reshapes the workplace, human-centric work rooted in empathy, hands-on skill, and real-world service becomes more, not less, valuable.
AI is changing how we work, not eliminating all work
Instead of replacing entire roles, many employers are using AI to:
- Automate base-level, repetitive tasks
- Free up people for higher-value, human work
- Support professional development and upskilling
Employer behavior is shifting to train AI to do the low-level data entry, then train people to manage projects, oversee quality, and interface with clients.
Addison Group’s 2026 Workforce Planning Guide reinforces this: AI is driving a move toward skills-based hiring, talent shortages in key roles, and the need for proactive workforce planning, not mass replacement of workers.
Pay is moving (even if it doesn’t feel like it)
From the student’s perspective, it can feel like “everything costs more, but pay is stuck.” This feels even more heightened for recent graduates in big cities.
But at the macro level, surveys show employers planning average salary increases of ~3.5% for 2026 in the U.S., with similar budgets reported by multiple major comp consultancies.
Is it enough to make everyone feel comfortable? No.
But is it meaningful for Gainful Employment metrics and student ROI? Yes, especially in sectors where starting wages are already climbing due to shortages, like healthcare and certain trades.
Meanwhile in Higher Ed: The Enrollment Cliff Opens Opportunity
While some career schools are managing waitlists, traditional higher ed is wrestling with something very different: the enrollment cliff.
Inside Higher Ed recently argued that the cliff may be worse than expected, as demographic declines intersect with affordability concerns and learning loss from the pandemic.
Acuity Insights’ 2025 Admissions Trends report notes that institutions are:
- Seeing shifts toward non-traditional and older learners
- Reworking admissions to better support holistic review and student success
- Navigating students whose academic preparation and maturity were disrupted by COVID.
While on the ground, the schools we work with are also seeing is that:
- K–12 learning gaps mean students arrive with a two-year maturity and skills lag.
- Mental health challenges and economic stress are impacting persistence.
From a career-school perspective, this is both challenge and opportunity:
- Challenge: some incoming students will need more support to reach GE-friendly outcomes.
- Opportunity: you’re positioned as the fast, focused, outcomes-driven pathway for both recent grads and adults laid off from AI-vulnerable roles.
GE isn’t just a compliance hurdle, it’s the next major competitive separator in higher ed. Schools that understand their outcomes, refine their messaging, and strengthen program positioning now will be the ones attracting more of today’s ROI-driven students in 2026 and beyond.
If you’re ready to turn regulation into advantage and get clarity on your program’s GE outlook, talk to our experts and let’s map out your path forward.