The U.S. Department of Education has issued an interpretive rule intended to lower barriers for new accrediting agencies seeking recognition from the Secretary of Education. The department stated that this move is designed to promote competition among accreditors and offer more opportunities for new institutional and programmatic accreditors in a market traditionally dominated by a few organizations.
According to the department, this action continues the Trump Administration’s focus on accreditation reform, which includes steps to make it easier for colleges and universities to change accreditors, remove artificial barriers that increase costs, emphasize data-driven student outcomes, and support emerging quality assurance providers.
Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said, “The Trump Administration is reforming the broken accreditation system to prioritize students, not legacy accreditors. Americans do not trust accreditors because they have failed to ensure educational quality at colleges and universities. Too often, accreditors have been focused on the wrong things, like promoting partisan ideologies, instead of ensuring quality outcomes for students. The accreditation market has been stagnant for far too long, and this interpretive rule will help the Department bring new accreditors into the market. Increased competition will spur innovation and refocus accreditors on what matters most: ensuring students are prepared for good jobs after graduation.”
The interpretive rule provides clarification on several aspects of the recognition process as outlined in 34 CFR Part 602. It defines when accreditation activities begin so that agencies can meet regulatory requirements—specifically that two years of accrediting activity are needed before seeking recognition—and shortens review timelines by committing to determine eligibility within 60 days of application submission. The department aims to complete written petition reviews between six and twelve months.
Section 496 of the Higher Education Act requires criteria for recognizing accrediting agencies. Since 1999, only four new accrediting agencies have received authority from the department to establish institutional eligibility for Title IV programs. The current interpretive rule seeks to open access further by eliminating unnecessary waiting periods and increasing choices available to institutions pursuing accreditation.
This rule is nonbinding; its purpose is to inform stakeholders about how current law and regulations are being interpreted by the department.
As part of compliance with Executive Order 14279—Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education—the department has resumed recognizing new accrediting agencies following a previous moratorium; lifted restrictions preventing institutions from switching their accreditor freely; sought public input on updates needed in its Accreditation Handbook; allocated nearly $15 million through FIPSE grants toward supporting emerging accreditors as part of a broader $169 million grant effort; announced plans for an Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Negotiated Rulemaking Committee set for April–May 2026; and proposed clarifying rules regarding use of “regional” labels by accrediting bodies.
