Education and training: the numbers, the rules, the AI picture.

• US Department of Education: misrepresentation rules for institutions (34 CFR 668 Subpart F)

  An institution that takes federal student aid may not make a substantial misrepresentation about its educational program, its financial charges or the employability of its graduates. The rule defines misrepresentation as any false, erroneous or misleading statement, including one that misleads by omission, and says it covers advertising and promotional material. It names specifics. Section 668.72 covers the type and extent of accreditation, credit transfer, licensure and certification eligibility and how long the program takes. Section 668.73 covers scholarships, price, refund policy and aid. Section 668.74 covers placement and licensure rates, and says rates are misleading when real rates are materially lower than advertised or when the count includes people who were not bona fide employees or already worked in the field.

  What it means: Treat every accreditation, transfer, licensure, placement and cost statement as a claim that needs a document behind it. Keep the evidence file, the cohort and the date next to every placement or pass rate. Do not publish a number that counts internships, pre-existing employment or a selected group. Check that third parties who market for you, such as lead generators and affiliates, say the same thing.

  [7] law.cornell.edu

• Department of Education: earnings accountability and the Student Tuition and Transparency System

  The Department published its Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability final rule on July 1, 2026, and says the earlier financial value transparency and gainful employment rules stay in effect through June 30, 2027, with the new rules replacing them on July 1, 2027. A law-firm summary of the final rule says a program passes when completers' median earnings meet a benchmark: working adults aged 25 to 34 with a high school diploma for undergraduate programs. A program that fails in two of three consecutive years loses Direct Loan eligibility. It also says that when the Department notifies an institution a program may lose eligibility, the institution must warn current and prospective students, and prospective students must acknowledge the warning before enrolling.

  What it means: If you take federal student aid, the earnings of your graduates now bear on your ability to recruit with loans, so outcome claims on your site must match the data the Department holds. Plan how warnings reach prospects at first contact and in your enrollment flow. Programs that do not take federal aid are outside this rule but inside the FTC and state rules. Re-check the dates and the details against the Department of Education and Federal Register text, as the framework is new.

  [8] fsapartners.ed.gov

• FTC Act Section 5 and the Guides for Private Vocational and Distance Education Schools (16 CFR Part 254)

  The FTC treats deceptive school advertising as unlawful under Section 5 of the FTC Act, and its guides name the practices. Section 254.3 says it is deceptive to misrepresent the nature, extent or purpose of any approval or accreditation, and to claim accreditation without qualification unless all programs are accredited by a recognized agency. Section 254.4 says it is deceptive to misrepresent the availability of employment after graduation, the success graduates have had in getting jobs, including placement percentages, or the salary or salary range graduates received. The FTC has acted on these. It said Career Step falsely claimed job placement, externships and hiring partnerships to servicemembers and their spouses, and paid more than $15.5 million to 42,794 consumers in 2025. It also settled with the University of Phoenix over claims about employer partnerships.

  What it means: Never say or imply a job, an employer relationship or an earnings figure you cannot prove for the typical student. A "graduates get hired" claim needs a method, a cohort and a date. Do not use the names of employers unless you have a documented relationship that does what you say. The guides apply to private vocational and distance schools; colleges accredited at degree level fall under the Department of Education rules but the FTC Act still applies.

  [5] ftc.gov

• FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (16 CFR Part 465)

  The final rule, announced in August 2024, bans fake or false reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated ones. It bars paying or rewarding people for reviews that express a chosen sentiment, insider reviews that hide the writer's connection to the business, claiming that a company-controlled site offers independent reviews, and suppressing reviews with unfounded threats. The FTC can seek civil penalties against knowing violators. In the Career Step case the FTC also alleged deceptive incentivized reviews.

  What it means: Do not offer a tuition discount, gift card or entry to a prize draw for a positive review. Disclose when a testimonial comes from an alumnus on staff or an ambassador. Do not show a "student reviews" widget that you curate unless it is labeled as selected feedback. Ask all graduates for reviews and publish the results fairly.

  [9] ftc.gov

• State authorization and licensing: career school approval and SARA

  States license private career schools and colleges, and rules differ by state. Texas is one example: Texas Education Code Section 132.055 requires a school to give students, before enrollment, the current rates of job placement and employment of completers, to publish its refund policy in its catalog and enrollment contract and to avoid erroneous or misleading advertising by statement, omission or intimation. For online programs across state lines, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, run by NC-SARA, says more than 2,400 institutions in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands take part to streamline distance education rules.

  What it means: Before you recruit in a state, confirm whether you need approval there, whether you may advertise before approval and what disclosures the state requires on your site and in your enrollment documents. Show your authorization exactly as the regulator words it. Do not suggest the state endorses you if it only registered you. Programs that lead to a license need a clear statement of the states in which the program does and does not meet licensure rules.

  [10] texas.public.law

• FERPA: student education records

  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects the privacy of student education records and applies to educational agencies and institutions that receive funds from programs the Secretary of Education administers. Rights pass from parents to the student at age 18 or on attending a postsecondary institution, whichever comes first. A school must give notice of the categories it designates as directory information and a period to opt out before disclosing it.

  What it means: If you are a funded school or college, treat anything that identifies a student, including names in testimonials, photos in galleries and results in case studies, as covered unless the student or parent has given written consent or you designated it as directory information with notice. Do not load student records into marketing or ad platforms. Private providers that take no federal funds are outside FERPA but should apply the same discipline.

  [11] studentprivacy.ed.gov

• COPPA: children under 13 online

  COPPA, at 16 CFR Part 312, applies to operators of websites and online services directed to children under 13, and to other sites that know they collect personal information from children under 13. The FTC announced amendments in January 2025 that require separate verifiable parental consent before disclosing a child's data to third parties, including for targeted advertising, limit retention and widen the definition of personal information to include biometric and government identifiers. The FTC said operators have one year from publication in the Federal Register to comply with amendments that do not set an earlier date.

  What it means: A site for primary schools, tutoring for young children or a kids' coding class is likely directed at children. Use a neutral age gate where the audience is mixed, do not collect a child's data through a lead form without parental consent and do not run remarketing or targeted ad pixels on child-directed pages. Put the parent, not the child, in the enquiry form.

  [12] ftc.gov

• CAN-SPAM Act: email to prospects and parents

  The FTC guide says the Act covers commercial email generally and has no business-to-business exception. Messages need accurate header information, a subject line that matches the content, a clear advertisement notice, a valid postal address and a working opt-out that you honor within 10 business days. You stay responsible when a vendor sends on your behalf. Each violating email can carry a civil penalty of up to $53,088.

  What it means: Enrollment nurture emails, event invitations and re-enrollment campaigns are marketing and must meet these rules. Put the opt-out in every message, process unsubscribes fast and audit your enquiry platform and any outside agency. Text messages to prospects fall under separate telephone consent rules that this page does not cover, so take advice before you text.

  [13] ftc.gov

• ADA Title II web rule: public schools and colleges

  The Department of Justice rule requires state and local government web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and its guidance says public universities and school districts are covered and there is no exception for educational course content. As of the page we opened, which notes an April 2026 interim final rule, entities serving a population of 50,000 or more must comply by April 26, 2027, and smaller entities and special districts by April 26, 2028.

  What it means: If you are a public school, district or college, your application portal, course pages, forms, PDFs and learning platform are in scope, including content from vendors you post. Private schools and training providers are not covered by Title II, but accessible sites convert better and reduce legal risk. Test forms with a keyboard and a screen reader before launch.

  [14] ada.gov

• United Kingdom: CMA consumer law guidance, ASA and CAP rankings guidance and the ICO Children's code

  In the UK, consumer law applies to higher education. The Competition and Markets Authority advice for higher education providers says students have consumer rights and that providers who fail obligations to undergraduates may breach consumer protection law. The advice predates the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 unfair-practice provisions in force since April 6, 2025, which GOV.UK describes as broadly similar. CAP guidance for the sector says ranking claims must state the source and date, use only the categories the source defines and be backed by documents. The ICO Children's code sets 15 standards for online services likely to be accessed by children.

  What it means: For UK recruitment, name the league table and year next to any ranking, keep offer-stage information accurate through enrollment and check terms that let you withdraw an accepted offer. Apply the Children's code to services used by under-18s. These are separate from US rules, so UK and EU pages need their own review.

  [15] gov.uk

This is general information, not legal advice. Education rules differ by state, by sector, by whether you take federal student aid and by country. Confirm with your state regulator, your accreditor and qualified counsel before you publish outcome, cost or accreditation claims.