Gainful Employment

Under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, in order for an educational program to be eligible for federal Title IV programs funds at UMW, the educational program must  be offered by a public postsecondary institution leading to a Bachelor or Master’s degree and prepare students for “gainful employment in a recognized occupation”.

Gainful Employment programs are offered at many institutions and are not common at the University level.  However, UMW does offer a few gainful employment programs that fall under the framework of accountability under U.S. Department of Education regulations.

These programs are typically certificate programs in undergraduate, graduate, post baccalaureate and postgraduate programs with some exceptions including teacher certification coursework, preparatory coursework necessary for enrollment into an eligible program, comprehensive transition programs for students with intellectual disabilities.

At UMW, there are just a few programs that fall into the gainful employment category.  Those programs are:

• Undergraduate Certificate program in Geographic Information Science (GIS)
• Graduate Certificate in Contracts and Procurement
• Graduate Certification in Project Management

If an institution has GE programs, it must disclose certain information about each of those programs if the enrollment cohort in the program is greater than 30 students who received Title IV federal financial aid and completed the program within the cohort period.

GE disclosure documentation is available for programs meeting the cohort period requirement and are available by clicking Gainful Employment.