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| January 9, 2026 |
| AHEAD Committee Update |
| Earlier today, the AHEAD negotiated rulemaking committee reached consensus on proposed institutional accountability regulations that combine portions of the FVT/GE rule with the Do No Harm framework from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. AACS is deeply disappointed with this outcome. The US Department of Education’s continued failure to meaningfully account for the realities of the beauty, barber, and wellness education sector is unacceptable. Throughout the negotiations, AACS consistently raised substantive concerns with negotiators about how graduate earnings are measured and reported for cosmetology and related professions. Unfortunately, the rule that reached consensus does not adequately consider several critical factors that materially affect reported income data for our graduates. The framework that now advances to the notice-and-comment part of the rulemaking process continues to rely on narrow and incomplete earnings that fail to capture real-world outcomes for our graduates. Equally troubling is the Department’s decision to abandon earlier language that would have preserved Pell Grant eligibility for all students attending programs that failed the Department’s flawed metric. The revised approach represents a significant step backward and places students at risk of losing access to financial aid. AACS remains firmly opposed to any accountability system that fails to recognize the unique characteristics of licensure-based, service-driven professions—and that once again specifically targets AACS schools. As always, we will advocate aggressively—through every means necessary, including but not limited to regulatory engagement, formal comments, litigation, and lobbying—to protect our schools, our students, and the communities they serve. We insist on being treated fairly. We appreciate the time, expertise, and commitment of the many AACS members who supported this effort and engaged alongside AACS throughout the negotiated rulemaking. We will provide a more detailed summary of the institutional accountability framework that reached consensus next week. As always, we will keep you informed as the Department moves forward in finalizing these regulations and we evaluate all available options. This is not the end of the fight, and we are ready for what’s next. We will need the help of every AACS member to mobilize in supporting our efforts to push back against this unjust rule. |
