Today, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to reenvision America’s postsecondary quality assurance system. The proposed framework would simplify the Secretary’s process of recognizing emerging and existing accreditors; promote a better return on investment for students; safeguard against undue influence from private trade associations on accreditors; eliminate standards or policies that discriminate on the basis of immutable characteristics; and promote academic freedom, intellectual diversity, and research integrity.
For too long, accreditors – private, nongovernmental entities entrusted to serve as arbiters of educational quality and training – have acted as major gatekeepers to more than $100 billion in federal student aid annually. A small group of accreditors has dominated the higher education landscape for decades, driving up costs for American students and families and, in some cases, pushing colleges and universities to prioritize ideological agendas over a robust education focused on student outcomes, including whether students graduate on time, secure jobs in their field of study, and earn family-sustaining wages. The proposed changes would break up entrenched accreditation monopolies and reorient the sector to prioritize innovation, academic excellence, and student outcomes.
“At a time when Americans have lost trust in higher education, the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the accreditation system are intended to reorient our quality assurance framework so that accreditors prioritize student outcomes rather than bureaucratic processes or the promotion of divisive and unlawful ideological agendas,” said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent. “Instead of ensuring institutions offer high-quality educational programs that justify the time and cost of a college education, the antiquated accreditation system has contributed to inflated tuition, administrative bloat, and ideology-driven mandates on college campuses. The Department’s proposed changes to our higher education quality assurance system will improve college affordability, reconnect education to workforce needs, strengthen accountability, and restore confidence in our accreditation system.”
The proposed rule implements the significant reforms outlined in President Trump’s Executive Order 14279, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education. Additionally, this proposed rule builds on a series of actions by the Trump Administration to reform America’s higher education accreditation system, expand opportunity, and ensure accreditors prioritize student outcomes.
To read the full NPRM, see here.
Public Comment Period
Public comments on the proposed rules can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. The Department will not accept comments submitted by fax or mail. The Department must receive comments on or before September 21, 2026.
About the AIM Committee’s Consensus
In May, the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee reached consensus on the entire package of proposed accreditation changes. The Committee consisted of stakeholders representing American taxpayers, existing and nascent accrediting agencies, institutions of higher education, the business community, state officials, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), veterans, and students.
Background
Section 492 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires that the Secretary of Education solicit public involvement in the development of proposed regulations before publishing a NPRM to implement federal student assistance programs authorized under Title IV. After obtaining advice and recommendations from the public and stakeholders, the Secretary conducts negotiated rulemaking to develop the proposed regulations.
On January 27, 2026, the Department announced its intention to engage in negotiated rulemaking to amend the regulations for the Secretary’s recognition of accrediting agencies and to implement the directives of Executive Order 14279, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education.
The Department conducted two negotiated rulemaking sessions, from April 13-17 and May 18-22, 2026. After nine days of deliberation and negotiation the AIM Committee reached consensus. Under the negotiated rulemaking process, the Department moved to publish the agreed-upon regulations in the NPRM.