The Department of Education issued a proposed rule to fundamentally restructure how colleges and universities are accredited in the United States on Aug. 19. The accreditation system determines which institutions can receive hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student aid annually.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would reshape the relationship between the department, accrediting agencies and educational institutions. The proposal carries implications for program quality standards, institutional accountability and the dynamics between regional and national accreditors.
Accreditation serves as the gateway to federal student aid, including Pell Grants and federal student loans. Restructuring the system could change which schools students can attend with federal financial assistance and which programs count as legitimate degrees.
The proposed rule affects thousands of degree-granting institutions and approximately 20 million students currently enrolled in higher education programs, according to the Department of Education. A public comment period is now open.
Accrediting agencies — private organizations recognized by the department to evaluate institutional quality — would face new requirements under the proposal. The rules would alter how accreditors evaluate schools and the standards they apply when determining whether an institution meets minimum quality thresholds.
The higher education sector has long debated whether the accreditation system adequately protects students and taxpayers. Critics argue that accreditors have allowed low-quality programs to maintain access to federal aid, while defenders of the current system say accreditation provides a necessary peer-review process.
The proposal is expected to draw significant engagement during the public comment period from colleges, universities, accrediting agencies, student advocacy groups and members of Congress.
Employers who require accredited degrees for hiring and state licensing boards that accept accreditation as evidence of educational quality could also be affected by changes to the system.