Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act
A Democratic bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 2 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act" aims to increase consumer protections for students in higher education. It establishes new requirements for institutions offering programs that lead to occupations requiring state licensure, ensuring they qualify students for exams and practical placements. The bill also implements a debt-to-earnings standard to monitor the financial viability of gainful employment programs. Under these new rules, institutions that fail to meet specific debt-to-earnings ratios may lose access to federal education assistance funds. Additionally, the Act requires distance education providers to meet specific state authorization requirements.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +8
Would students be better off under this?
The bill enhances student protections by ensuring programs meet licensure requirements and maintain reasonable debt-to-earnings ratios.
- Scored +7
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
The bill establishes debt-to-earnings standards and licensure readiness requirements to protect students from ineffective higher education programs.
- Scored +5
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill protects low-income students from enrolling in programs that do not provide sufficient economic return to cover their debt.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Ensuring Licensure Readiness: Students enrolling in programs designed for specific occupations will be protected because institutions must ensure the program fully qualifies them to take required examinations and meet all academic pre-conditions for licensure in their State (Section 3).
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Guaranteed Practical Training: The bill requires that institutions provide timely placement for necessary pre-licensure requirements, such as internships, clinical placements, or apprenticeships (Section 3).
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Financial Accountability through Debt-to-Earnings Standards: The Act implements a system where programs must meet specific debt-to-earnings ratios, which helps protect students from attending programs that do not lead to sufficient earnings to cover their debt (Section 4(b)).
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Improved Transparency: The Secretary is required to calculate and publish debt-to-earnings rates for eligible programs on a public website, providing students with better information (Section 4(c)(2)(A)(i)).
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Mandatory Student Warnings: Institutions must notify students if a gainful employment program does not satisfy the educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in the State where the student intends to work (Section 4(c)(3)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of Federal Funding for Programs: Institutions that fail to meet the debt-to-earnings standards for two out of any three consecutive award years will be ineligible to disburse program funds, which could impact students currently enrolled or seeking entry (Section 4(b)(1) and 4(d)(1)).
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Barriers to Reestablishing Programs: If a program becomes ineligible for funding, the institution is prohibited from seeking to reestablish that program or a substantially similar one for at least three years (Section 4(d)(2) and 4(c)(4)).
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Increased Requirements for Distance Education: Institutions offering distance education or correspondence courses must now meet specific legal authorization requirements in every State where their students are located (Section 5(d)(1)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would students be better off under this? — The bill enhances student protections by ensuring programs meet licensure requirements and maintain reasonable debt-to-earnings ratios. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill protects low-income students from enrolling in programs that do not provide sufficient economic return to cover their debt. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The debt-to-earnings requirements provide financial safeguards for students investing in postsecondary education.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The bill establishes debt-to-earnings standards and licensure readiness requirements to protect students from ineffective higher education programs.
- Education And Technology
- Does this make college cost less? — By enforcing debt-to-earnings ratios, the bill seeks to prevent students from incurring debt that exceeds their future earning potential.
- 9/1/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/16/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Danny DavisDemocrat · Illinois
Adelita GrijalvaDemocrat · Arizona