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Nearly a year after first proposing it, the Department of Education this morning officially issued the final version of its “Gainful Employment” Rule, which aims to stop for-profit colleges from saddling students with unmanageable levels of debt. As has been noted in numerous news stories, the Department made very large concessions to the for-profit higher education industry. As a result, the initial reaction from consumer advocacy groups has been lukewarm at best. Meanwhile, career college lobbyists remain — unsurprisingly — dissatisfied with the changes.

At Higher Ed Watch, we will provide our own analysis of the final regulation after we have thoroughly reviewed it. In the meantime, though, here are some helpful links to find out more about the rule, and to see what the press and various interested parties are saying about it.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The Department announcement of the rule (which has links to the regulation, and supplemental information about it) can be found .

PRESS COVERAGE

Here’s a selection of coverage from publications that have been covering the fight over this regulation particularly closely:

Bloomberg:

Chronicle of Higher Education:

Huffington Post:

Inside Higher Ed:

MarketWatch:

NPR:

New York Times:

Washington Post:

FOR-PROFIT HIGHER ED INDUSTRY RESPONSES

from the Association of Private-Sector Colleges and Universities (formerly known as the Career College Association)

from the Coalition for Educational Success

CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUPS’ RESPONSES

from the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS)

from the American Association of University Women

from the American Federation of Teachers

from Campus Progress

from the Council for Opportunity in Education

from The Education Trust

from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

from the National Education Association

from Public Advocates Inc.

from U.S. PIRG

from the United States Student Association

CONGRESSIONAL REACTION

from Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

from Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

from Reps. John Kline (R-MN), the chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the chairwoman of the panel’s higher education subcommittee

from Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee

from House Democratic supporters of the for-profit higher education industry

THE VIEW FROM WALL STREET

from Jarrel Price of Height Analytics

from Trace Urdan of Signal Hill

from StreetInsider.com

from Bloomberg BusinessWeek

We will update this post throughout the day with links to additional statements as they become available.