As colleges hand over data for new federal earnings test, IFT warns that students in public service fields will pay the price

“Higher education is more than a first job.”

WESTMONT - Today is the federal deadline for colleges to submit the data that the U.S. Department of Education will use to determine which programs keep access to federal student loans under the administration’s new earnings test.

Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) Membership Secretary John Miller issued the following statement:

“Today, universities and colleges across Illinois are handing Washington the data that will help determine which programs survive under Trump’s new federal rule. The Department of Education says most programs will pass, but students pursuing careers in social work, early childhood education, counseling, paraprofessional work, and other public service fields could see their federal aid disappear due to low starting salaries.

“These fields aren’t underpaid because the degrees lack value. They’re underpaid because our society undervalues this work. Our students should not be punished for choosing careers that serve our communities.

“It is no coincidence that these are fields where women make up the overwhelming majority of the workforce. This rule takes work our society has long undervalued because women do it, and makes students pay the price. It is one more attack on public higher education from an administration that would rather cut opportunities than invest in them.

“Still, Illinois cannot pretend this is only Washington’s problem. Our public universities were already in trouble after decades of persistent underfunding, and Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly must invest in them so they can protect these programs instead of leaving students to absorb federal cuts on top of state neglect.

“Higher education is more than a first job. It is about preparing people for a long-term career, a lifetime of learning, and the opportunity to contribute to the public good. Its value cannot be reduced to a few early paychecks.

“Instead of limiting opportunity, we need to invest in public higher education to make college more affordable, and ensure workers earn a livable wage rather than continuing to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.”

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