(a) Events requiring a warning to students and prospective students. Beginning on July 1, 2026, the institution must provide a warning with respect to a GE program to students and prospective students for any year for which the Secretary notifies an institution that the GE program could become ineligible under this subpart based on its final D/E rates or earnings premium measure for the next award year for which D/E rates or the earnings premium measure are calculated for the GE program.

(b) Subsequent warning. If a student or prospective student receives a warning under paragraph (a) of this section with respect to a GE program, but does not seek to enroll until more than 12 months after receiving the warning, the institution must again provide the warning to the student or prospective student, unless, since providing the initial warning, the program has passed both the D/E rates and earnings premium measures for the two most recent consecutive award years in which the metrics were calculated for the program.

(c) Content of warning. The institution must provide in the warning—

(1) A warning, as specified by the Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register, that—

(i) The program has not passed standards established by the U.S. Department of Education based on the amounts students borrow for enrollment in the program and their reported earnings, as applicable; and

(ii) The program could lose access to Federal grants and loans based on the next calculated program metrics;

(2) The relevant information to access the program information website maintained by the Secretary described in § 668.43(d);

(3) A statement that the student must acknowledge having viewed the warning through the program information website before the institution may disburse any title IV, HEA funds to the student;

(4) A description of the academic and financial options available to students to continue their education in another program at the institution, including whether the students could transfer credits earned in the program to another program at the institution and which course credits would transfer, in the event that the program loses eligibility for title IV, HEA program funds;

(5) An indication of whether, in the event that the program loses eligibility for title IV, HEA program funds, the institution will—

(i) Continue to provide instruction in the program to allow students to complete the program; and

(ii) Refund the tuition, fees, and other required charges paid to the institution by, or on behalf of, students for enrollment in the program; and

(6) An explanation of whether, if the program loses eligibility for title IV, HEA program funds, the students could transfer credits earned in the program to another institution in accordance with an established articulation agreement or teach-out plan or agreement.

(d) Alternative languages. In addition to providing the English-language warning, the institution must also provide translations of the English-language student warning for those students and prospective students who have limited proficiency in English.

(e) Delivery to enrolled students. An institution must provide the warning required under this section in writing, by hand delivery, mail, or electronic means, to each student enrolled in the program no later than 30 days after the date of the Secretary's notice of determination under § 668.406 and maintain documentation of its efforts to provide that warning. The warning must be the only substantive content contained in these written communications.

(f) Delivery to prospective students. (1) An institution must provide the warning as required under this section to each prospective student or to each third party acting on behalf of the prospective student at the first contact about the program between the institution and the student or the third party acting on behalf of the student by—

(i) Hand-delivering the warning as a separate document to the prospective student or third party, individually or as part of a group presentation;

(ii) Sending the warning to the primary email address used by the institution for communicating with the prospective student or third party about the program, provided that the warning is the only substantive content in the email and that the warning is sent by a different method of delivery if the institution receives a response that the email could not be delivered; or

(iii) Providing the warning orally to the student or third party if the contact is by telephone.

(2) An institution may not enroll, register, or enter into a financial commitment with the prospective student with respect to the program earlier than three business days after the institution delivers the warning as described in this paragraph (f).

(g) Acknowledgment prior to enrollment and disbursement. An institution may not allow a prospective student seeking title IV, HEA assistance to sign an enrollment agreement, complete registration, or make a financial commitment to the institution, or disburse title IV, HEA funds to the student until the student or prospective student completes the acknowledgment described in paragraph (c)(3) of this section.

(h) Discharge claims. The provision of a student warning or the acknowledgment described in paragraph (c)(3) of this section does not mitigate the institution's responsibility to provide accurate information to students concerning program status, nor will it be considered as dispositive evidence against a student's claim if applying for a loan discharge.